A chilly, blustery storm swept through the drought- parched region Friday morning, bringing drenching rain to low-lying areas and snow to the mountains.
By late morning, bands of dark clouds let loose with more than an inch of moisture to parts of the county, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall totals as of 11 a.m. included 1.18 inches at Henshaw Dam; 1.09 inches in Warner Springs; 1.06 inches in Pine Hills; 1.02 inches at Lake Cuyamaca; 0.82 of an inch in Escondido and 0.76 of an inch in Rancho Bernardo.
Other rainfall totals in inches were:
— 0.61 in Serra Mesa;
— 0.57 in San Marcos;
— 0.47 in Lake Murray, Ramona and Santee, and at Lindbergh Field;
— 0.45 in Valley Center;
— 0.40 in Mission Valley;
— 0.37 in Poway;
— 0.33 in San Onofre;
— 0.32 in the Granite Hills area of El Cajon;
— 0.31 in Encinitas and Point Loma, Deer Springs and San Diego Country Estates;
— 0.30 in Bonsall;
— 0.29 in Fallbrook;
— 0.25 in Carlsbad;
— 0.20 in San Ysidro;
— and 0.16 in Oceanside.
Nearly 150 traffic crashes happened Friday morning on rain-slicked freeways and streets in unincorporated areas.
The 142 crashes reported between midnight and shortly before 10 a.m. compares with the 100 to 170 wrecks that occur on an average day, according to the California Highway Patrol.
From midnight to just before 6 a.m., 33 crashes were reported to the CHP, 43 were reported in the following hour and 66 accidents happened between 8 a.m. and 9:59 a.m., the CHP said.
5-8-15, 8 AM. Temp: 30, Snowing, 1/2 Inch Of SNOW On The Ground.Webcam http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/cameras Weather Info:...
Posted by Laguna Mountain Lodge on Friday, May 8, 2015
About an inch of snow fell on Mount Laguna, and scattered traces of it came down in Pine Valley and other East County locales. By the time the storm peters out early Saturday, up to 5 inches of snow could accumulate in the highest local elevations, according to meteorologists.
Drivers on mountain roads were urged to use caution due to expected brief periods of heavy snow, strong winds and fog reducing visibility to a quarter-mile or less at times.
Since early Wednesday, winds reached 56 mph at Mountain Springs Grade, 54 mph in Harrison Park, 52 mph on Volcan Mountain and 50 mph in Julian. In the deserts, there were gusts of 49 mph in Ocotillo Wells, 45 mph in Borrego Springs and 37 mph at the Narrows.
A wind advisory for the deserts will remain in effect 4 a.m. Saturday, warning of west winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts that could reach 60 mph.
The precipitation was expected to taper off overnight, leading to partly cloudy skies across most of the county Saturday and generally uninterrupted sunshine by Sunday afternoon, the weather service advised.
