Blustery Winter Storm Chills San Diego Region With Record Lows

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego

February 23, 2023

Record low temperatures were reported in parts of San Diego County Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, as a cold storm passed through the region.

A blustery winter storm delivered widespread precipitation and powerful winds to the San Diego area, ushering in an on-again, off-again spell of wet and gusty weather expected to last into the weekend.

Record low maximum temperatures for the day were reported in parts of San Diego County on Wednesday. It was 53 in Vista, breaking the record of 54 set in 1969. It was 51 in Ramona, breaking the record of 53 set in 2022.

It was 49 in Alpine, tying a record set in 1969. It was 53 in El Cajon, breaking a record of 54 set in 1952. It was 29 at Palomar Mountain, breaking the record of 30 set in 1959. It was 31 in Lake Cuyamaca, breaking the record of 33 set in 2019.

Over a 24-hour period ending at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, the unsettled atmospheric system dropped anywhere from a few hundredths of an inch along the coast to nearly an inch in the mountains. Chula Vista received .03 inches, Ramona .14 and Julian .54.

Snow levels were expected to drop as low as the 2,500-foot level by Thursday, with accumulations of up to 2 inches in the mountains.

Recorded high winds over the period included 84 mph on Volcan Mountain, 67 mph on Otay Mountain, 60 mph in Borrego Springs and 52 mph in Coronado.

Highs on Thursday will be around 53 along the coast, 51 in the western valleys, 41 to 46 near the foothills, 34 to 42 in the mountains and 53 to 58 in the deserts.

A winter storm watch will be in effect through Saturday in the local mountains, with forecasters calling for heavy snow and winds gusting as high as 90 mph. Traveling in the area over the period “could be very difficult to impossible,” the weather service warned.

City News Service contributed to this article.

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