Special Weather Statement

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
838 AM PDT TUE APR 20 2010

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-212100-
ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS-
COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS-
838 AM PDT TUE APR 20 2010

...LATE SEASON STORM TO IMPACT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK...

A COLD STORM ORIGINATING IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE DOWN THE
COAST TODAY AND THEN TRACK ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS STORM WILL BRING RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND
STRONG GUSTY WINDS AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY.
THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL HAIL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. IT WILL ALSO BE
UNSEASONABLY COLD WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

CLOUDS WILL THICKEN AHEAD OF THE STORM TODAY. DENSE FOG WILL START
TO BECOME A FACTOR OVER THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG
WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING A COLDER AIRMASS INTO THE
AREA. THIS COLD AIRMASS WILL LINGER THROUGH THURSDAY...AND HIGH
TEMPERATURES WILL BE 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES.

STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THURSDAY WILL RANGE FROM
ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH ONE TO TWO INCHES ON
THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. ABOUT ONE-QUARTER INCH WILL FALL OVER
THE HIGH DESERT...WITH LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH IN THE LOWER
DESERTS.

SNOW LEVELS WILL BE AROUND 5500 TO 6500 THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...LOWERING TO 4000 FEET ON WEDNESDAY. BY THURSDAY...6 TO 12
INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAN
BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...AND 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE
SAN DIEGO MOUNTAINS.

THE STORM SYSTEM WILL EXIT THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT WITH DRY...MILD
WEATHER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

$$

SS/ATKIN