Re: POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A VERY STRONG AND WET STORM


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A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA M...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
400 PM PST SUN FEB 26 2006

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-271200-
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-
400 PM PST SUN FEB 26 2006

...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA MONDAY
AND TUESDAY...

A MOISTURE LADEN...LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL
BRING POTENTIALLY HEAVY RAIN AS IT TAPS INTO A DEEP LAYER OF
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE. LIGHT RAIN WILL BEGIN AS EARLY AS
MONDAY...THEN INTENSIFY MONDAY EVENING AS SOUTHERLY WINDS DRAW MORE
MOISTURE INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE BEST CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN
WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING WHEN THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS
ACROSS THE REGION.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES IN THE COASTAL
AND VALLEY AREAS...AND THREE TO SEVEN INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE
SOUTH AND WEST FACING SLOPES WILL LIKELY RECEIVE THE MOST RAIN AND
THERE WILL GENERALLY BE MORE RAIN IN THE NORTH AND LESS IN THE
SOUTH. THE HIGH DESERTS SHOULD GET NEAR ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF
RAIN WITH ABOUT AN INCH IN THE SOUTHERN DESERTS.

RAINFALL INTENSITIES MONDAY NIGHT COULD EXCEED ONE HALF INCH PER
HOUR AT TIMES ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH RATES IN EXCESS OF ONE
INCH PER HOUR POSSIBLE ACROSS FOOTHILL AND MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. WITH
SUCH HIGH RAINFALL RATES...FLASH FLOODING...MUD SLIDES AND DEBRIS
FLOWS WILL BE LIKELY...ESPECIALLY IN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED AREAS
AND ON STEEP TERRAIN. URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE.

THE WARM TROPICAL AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL KEEP SNOW
LEVELS ABOVE RESORT LOCATIONS UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT SO THAT ANY SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE RESTRICTED TO THE HIGHEST PEAKS OF THE SAN
BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE MOUNTAINS. AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD
FRONT...THE SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO ABOUT 6500 FEET ON TUESDAY
MORNING.

ON MONDAY...STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 50 MPH WILL
BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...AND WIND ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY
BE NEEDED FOR SOME AREAS OF THE SAN BERNARDINO...RIVERSIDE AND SAN
DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

ALL INTERESTS SHOULD KEEP INFORMED ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT OF THIS
STORM BY MONITORING THE LATEST WEATHER STATEMENTS. A FLOOD WATCH
WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR THE HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED TO FALL MONDAY
NIGHT.

$$

ATKIN





EDIS-02-26-06 1553 PST