Slick Roads Snarl Traffic; More Rain Is Expected

Gusty winds, high surf and rain are expected to continue pummeling San Diego County as a steady series of fast-moving storms from the west travels through the Southland.

Minor traffic accidents were up 30% on slick San Diego-area freeways during stormy weather Monday, the California Highway Patrol said, but no serious injuries were reported.

There were “fender benders, slip-and-slide, spin-outs,” CHP dispatcher Jack Rogers said. During the morning rush hour, there were about 100 accidents involving two to seven cars, he said. By evening rush hour, the CHP had lost count, he added.

The San Diego Harbor Patrol said a boater swam to shore about 11 a.m. after his rented 14-foot sailboat toppled in the wind off Santa Barbara Cove. Other boats were rescued after pulling loose from their moorings.

Drivers and boaters should use caution as the stormy weather continues, forecasters said. The National Weather Service extended a traveler’s advisory in the mountains, where winds may gust to 35 m.p.h. Snow is expected above the 5,000-foot level.

At the shore, high surf is expected to pound the beaches with breakers up to eight feet. Waves occasionally might reach 13 feet. Small craft and high surf advisories have been issued. Winds of more than 30 m.p.h. may gust along San Diego County’s coast, forecasters said.

Cloudy skies and rain are expected to continue with some heavy showers through Wednesday in the county. A continuous stream of vigorous storms should move through the county during the week, said forecaster Grady Svoboda.

He said a “wind flow in the atmosphere from west to east that extends to the Orient” will continue to carry storms into San Diego.

Svoboda did not predict the amount of rain that the storms would generate, but said less than half an inch of rain would probably fall each day. “It will be showery-type precipitation,” he said.

Between 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 p.m. Monday, 0.68 of an inch of rain fell, bringing the seasonal total to 10.97 inches. March is the second-wettest month of the year and averages 1.60 inches of rain.

Temperatures during the storms will be cool, with highs in the low 60s in both coastal and inland areas. Lows are expected to be in the 50s along the coast and in the 46- to 54-degree range inland.

Mountain highs from 35 to 40 degrees will dip to the 20s and 30s at night, and desert highs of 70 are expected to be followed by nighttime lows in the 50s.