Coldest Storm In Several Years Headed To Carlsbad

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego authorities cautioned residents ahead of what could possibly be the coldest storm to hit the area in several years, the National Weather Service said.

A flurry of warnings were issued for San Diego County in anticipation of the storm beginning Tuesday night through to Saturday afternoon including winter storm, high winds and dangerous surf warnings.

“The coldest storm of the season, and possibly of the last several years is expected to impact southwest #CAwx Wed-Fri or Sat with showers across coasts and valleys with mainly snow across the mountains and deserts,” NWS said on Twitter.

Temperatures will be significantly colder, going 10 to 20 degrees below normal. Areas in San Diego County were especially warned to anticipate dangerous winds with deserts getting wind gusts up to 95 miles per hour, valleys seeing gusts of up to 85 miles per hour and coasts expecting winds up to 60 miles per hour.

Officials cautioned against driving, saying travel will be difficult and winds could cause severe damage to trees and other objects. Philip Gonsalves with NWS San Diego said travelers looking to visit snowy areas should be prepared for drastic conditions and should be very cautious.

“There will be no place in San Diego County that is going to be untouched by these winds,” Gonsalves said. “The potential for physical damage as a result of the wind is pretty high.”

Mountains in the county can expect up to five inches of snowfall with areas at higher elevations expected to see multiple feet of snow. This storm system will bring snow down to lower elevations than normal, impacting areas about 1,500 feet and above Stewart said. This storm system will bring snow down to lower elevations than normal, impacting areas about 2,000 feet and above, Gonsalves said.

Rain is also forecasted to hit San Diego for several days starting Wednesday and ending Sunday. San Diego County residents should expect light rainfall starting Tuesday night in the mountains, with most rain for this storm to pick up Thursday evening into Saturday, Gonsalves said.

Coastal areas can expect waves to reach up to 14 feet tall according to NWS officials.

“There is going to be a lot of significant impacts so stay aware and cautious,” Stewart said. “There is pretty much a bunch of everything going on all at once.”