Rain Spatters County; Hot, Muggy Weather to Linger on Weekend

A wave of showers splashed parts of San Diego County Friday, prompting officials to declare a flash-flood watch in the mountains and desert until late into the night. Heavy thunderstorms were reported in the Palomar Mountain area of Cleveland National Forest.

The rains came down in hard but short spurts, dumping more than half an inch in 30 minutes in some parts of the county.

The moisture is coming from a storm system that originated in the Gulf of Mexico and is now parked over Arizona and southern Nevada, said Terry Schmeichel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The rain was particularly intense in the mountains and deserts because of a condition known as convection.

This occurs when air trapped on the desert floor is heated and lifted high into the sky, mixing with other air and causing rain--but the rain tends to decrease by the time it gets blown to the coast.

“The high pressure (over Arizona) has shifted moisture to the coast,” said Richard Stitt, a National Weather Service forecaster. “We’ve had a very tropical airflow over Southern California.”

Stitt said the muggy weather will continue into early next week. Today’s forecast is for continued hot and humid weather, with a chance of showers across the county.

By Sunday, both temperatures and the chance of rain should drop slightly.

“We’re looking at another couple of days of warm and muggy, above-normal temperatures. It will be pretty humid in all areas,” he said.

Friday’s downpour was selective, as people in the same communities saw big differences. In Vista, Fire Station No. 3 recorded only .001 of an inch of rain, but Helen Mikolajczyk witnessed a drenching in another part of town.

“It was pouring real heavy,” she said, as a brief noontime torrent lashed part of the city.

Meanwhile, the Fire Department in Lakeside reported very little precipitation, but nearby Alpine was swamped.

“It’s yucky and humid here,” said Alpine firefighter Bill Paskel, who said 0.62 of an inch fell early Friday afternoon.

About half the waders at Pacific Beach headed home in a hurry after it started to pour shortly after 3 p.m., said Pablo Navarro, a city lifeguard.

Across the county, 0.75 of an inch of rain fell on Julian and 0.10 on Escondido and at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

At Lindbergh Field, Friday’s high was 80, the low 70, and a trace of rain was reported. The average July rainfall in San Diego is 0.01 of an inch.

In other weather news, Hurricane Genevieve was about 900 miles south of San Diego Friday afternoon, moving west-northwest--away from the mainland.