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Winter storm brings rain and snow to San Diego County, prompting school closures

The San Diego area's notably wet and frigid winter continued unabated Thursday as the latest in a lengthy series of blustery storms soaked and frosted the region with rain and mountain snow

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego area's notably wet and frigid winter continued unabated Thursday as the latest in a lengthy series of blustery storms soaked and frosted the region with rain and mountain snow for a second straight day.

Due to the freezing-cold conditions gripping the East County highlands, the county Office of Education closed campuses for the day in Julian Union School District, Julian Union High School District, Mountain Empire Unified School District, Spencer Valley School District and Warner Springs School District.

The south-moving storm was expected to continue soaking and freezing the county through late tonight, forecasters advised.

By late afternoon, the two-day spate of showers had delivered moisture totals of up to several inches in some areas along with more than a foot of snow on some local peaks, according to the National Weather Service.

 

As of 3 p.m., the 48-hour rain tallies included 2.05 inches in Descanso; 1.92 in Mesa Grande; 1.68 at Henshaw Dam; 1.51 in Echo Dell; 1.42 in Pine Hills; 1.32 in Alpine; 1.15 in Skyline Ranch; 1.09 in Harbison Canyon and on Mount Woodson; 1.03 in San Diego Country Estates; 0.95 in Barona and Granite Hills; 0.93 in Poway; 0.9 in Rancho Bernardo; 0.87 in Flinn Springs; 0.83 in El Cajon; 0.82 in Ramona; 0.79 in Valley Center; 0.68 in Santee; 0.58 in Lakeside; 0.55 in La Mesa and San Ysidro; 0.49 in Deer Springs; 0.47 in Kearny Mesa; 0.44 in San Felipe; 0.41 in Agua Caliente; 0.35 in Chula Vista; 0.29 in La Jolla; 0.26 in Mission Valley; 0.23 in Oceanside; 0.22 in Encinitas; 0.21 in Solana Beach; 0.17 at Lindbergh Field; 0.14 in Borrego Springs; 0.12 in Carlsbad; 0.1 in Del Mar; and 0.09 in University Heights.

Among local snowfall accumulations over the period were 13 inches on Mount Laguna; 10 on Palomar Mountain; 9 in Julian; 4 in Oak Glen and Pine Valley; 1.5 in Boulevard and Wynola; and 0.5 in Descanso.

Tonight, the snow levels may drop as low as the 2,000-foot level, the weather service advised. Due to continuing travel and environmental-exposure hazards, a winter-storm warning issued by the weather service will remain in effect for the county's mountains until 1 a.m. Friday.

The precipitation is expected to dwindle away overnight, forecasters predicted. Thereafter, dry skies and warming temperatures should prevail through the middle of next week, with another local storm possibly arriving at the beginning of March, the weather service reported.

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