A late-autumn storm brought downpours to the San Diego area Monday, delivering welcome moisture to the dry region while ushering in a spate of commuter headaches. The wet and blustery conditions, which moved over the county during the weekend, were expected to dwindle over the afternoon and peter out completely overnight, the National Weather Service reported.
Over a 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m., according to the NWS, the dark clouds dropped 1.63 inches of precipitation on Palomar Mountain; 1.32 in Escondido; 1.21 in Julian; 1.16 at Cuyamaca Dam; 1.08 in Pine Hills; 1.01 in Pine Valley; 0.99 in Descanso; 0.95 in Pauma Valley; 0.92 on Volcan Mountain; 0.9 in Pine Valley; 0.81 on Mount Laguna; 0.75 at Henshaw Dam; 0.72 in Campo; and 0.66 in Santa Ysabel.
Other rainfall readings include 0.53 at Lake San Marcos; 0.52 in Clairemont; 0.49 in Carlsbad, La Jolla, Miramar and University City; 0.48 in Mission Valley and Poway; 0.46 at Camp Pendleton; 0.45 at Brown Field airport; 0.43 in Encinitas; 0.42 in Santee and Solana Beach; 0.4 in La Mesa; 0.39 in the Lake Murray area and Kearny Mesa; 0.37 in Bonita and on Fiesta Island; 0.36 in National City; 0.32 in Chula Vista; 0.3 in Coronado; 0.25 in Lemon Grove; 0.14 in Oceanside; 0.07 in Agua Caliente; 0.05 in Borrego Springs; 0.03 in Ocotillo Wells; and 0.02 in Imperial Beach.
As usual, the showers contributed to rainy-day hassles on local roadways. The California Highway Patrol, which usually responds to about 140 crashes over an entire day under clear skies, logged 113 collisions during an eight-hour period beginning at midnight.
An advisory warning of winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 50 to 60 mph in the mountains and deserts — strong enough to potentially pose hazards for motorists in those locales — was scheduled to expire at 8 p.m.
Additionally, a high-surf advisory will remain in effect until early Monday evening. Forecasters said waves of 5 to 8 feet would be possible at local beaches, as would strong rip currents.
Drier and warmer weather is expected Tuesday through Thanksgiving, meteorologists said.
