Special Weather Statement

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1251 PM PDT MON APR 4 2011

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-051200-
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-
1251 PM PDT MON APR 4 2011

...A COLD SPRING STORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATER THIS
WEEK...

A VIGOROUS AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DIVE SOUTH OUT OF WESTERN
CANADA AND REACH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON FRIDAY. AHEAD OF IT...STRONG
WESTERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP...ALONG WITH AN INCREASING CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL.

INITIALLY...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN OVER THE GREAT
BASIN ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT...
DRIVING INCREASING WINDS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE DESERTS.
WESTERLY WINDS MAY REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS AROUND 45 MPH IN THE WINDIEST SPOTS. WINDS WILL
STRENGTHEN FURTHER THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND BECOME MORE
WIDESPREAD WITH GUSTS EXCEEDING 60 MPH IN THE MOUNTAINS AND LOCALLY
IN THE DESERTS.

ROUGH SEAS DUE TO A LARGE WIND SWELL...AND POSSIBLE GALE FORCE WIND
GUSTS COULD CREATE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR ANY SMALL CRAFT IN OUR
COASTAL WATERS ON THURSDAY. MARINERS SHOULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

AS THE ONSHORE FLOW INCREASES AND THE MARINE LAYER DEEPENS...SOME
LIGHT PRECIPITATION COULD BREAK OUT WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY
NIGHT AND THURSDAY...BUT WILL BE MORE LIKELY THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH
FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE COLDEST AIR MOVES OVER THE REGION. THE SNOW
LEVEL COULD LOWER TO AROUND 4000 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING AND REMAIN
BELOW 5000 FEET THROUGH THE EVENT. THIS SHOULD BRING SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE MOUNTAINS BEGINNING SOMETIME ON FRIDAY AND
CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...BUT SINCE THIS SYSTEM IS NOT OF PACIFIC
ORIGIN...MOISTURE WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED. PRELIMINARY RAINFALL
TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN ONE-QUARTER INCH IN THE
DESERTS...UP TO ONE INCH WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS...AND THREE-QUARTERS
TO ONE-AND-ONE-HALF INCHES ON THE WETTER COASTAL SLOPES. SNOWFALL OF
5 TO 10 INCHES IS POSSIBLE AT MOST RESORTS BY SATURDAY WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

EXPECTED SNOW...BLOWING SNOW...AND DENSE FOG COULD MAKE TRAVEL
DIFFICULT TO HAZARDOUS IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE RAIN WILL CAUSE SLICK
ROADS AND MAY CAUSE LOCAL ROCK OR MUD SLIDES. TEMPORARY FLOODING OF
POORLY DRAINED AND LOW-LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. MAKE BOATING
AND TRAVEL PLANS ACCORDINGLY...AND STAY INFORMED OF FURTHER UPDATES
REGARDING THIS APPROACHING WEATHER SYSTEM.

$$

JAD