The latest storm cell will dump rain Tuesday in San Diego County along with snow in the mountains, where the icy weather could cause hazardous driving conditions.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning until 4 a.m. Wednesday for the county mountains, cautioning residents about frigid temperatures and difficult travel conditions in mountain locales.
The snow level is expected to drop to 4,500 feet by this afternoon then plunge to 3,500 feet as the temperatures drop Tuesday night, NWS meteorologist Miguel Miller said.
Mountain communities above 3,500 feet are forecast to get between three and six inches of snow Tuesday, the meteorologist said.
Scattered showers will be possible until early Wednesday morning, with coastal and inland-valley areas expected to get up to three-tenths of an inch of rainfall Tuesday, according to the NWS. Up to eight-tenths of an inch of precipitation is forecast for the county mountains while the deserts will get less than one-tenth of an inch.
As of 4 a.m., according to the Weather Service, five-day rain totals had reached 7.55 inches at Birch Hill; 7.36 in the Palomar area; 4.57 in Julian; 4.30 in Bonsall; 4.12 in Fallbrook; 3.94 in Santa Ysabel; 3.65 in Descanso; 3.41 in Oceanside; 3.07 in Ramona; 3.04 in La Mesa; 3.01 in Poway; 2.95 in Valley Center; 2.94 in Alpine; 2.76 in Pine Valley; 2.66 in Mission Valley; 2.56 in Carlsbad and Escondido; 2.49 in Kearny Mesa; 2.47 at Mount Laguna; and 2.38 at Lindbergh Field.
Other cumulative precipitation amounts included 2.26 inches in San Marcos; 2.09 in San Ysidro; 2.05 inches in San Onofre; 1.97 in Encinitas; 1.86 at Brown Field airport; 1.79 in Campo; 1.68 in Tierra del Sol; 1.54 in Solana Beach; 1.22 in San Felipe; 0.49 in Agua Caliente; 0.46 in Borrego Springs; and 0.19 in Ocotillo Wells.
The storm system will exit east out of the region by Wednesday afternoon followed by dry and warming conditions through Friday, Miller said.
