SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
445 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2007

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-182200-
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-445 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2007

...A PACIFIC SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY..

A FAST MOVING PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING INCREASING CLOUDINESS WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN TODAY MAINLY IN ORANGE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. RAIN WILL BE MORE LIKELY OVER AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH...LINGERING WEDNESDAY.

PRELIMINARY RAINFALL ESTIMATES RANGE FROM ABOUT AN INCH NEAR THE ORANGE COUNTY COAST TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES ON THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. RAINFALL TOTALS WILL GENERALLY BE
LESS OVER WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES...RANGING FROM A HALF INCH AT THE COAST TO AN INCH OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE HIGH DESERTS COULD GET AROUND A HALF INCH OF RAIN WHILE THE LOWER DESERTS
SHOULD WILL RECEIVE LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH OF RAIN. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE RATHER HIGH...ABOVE 7000 FEET. NEW SNOWFALL AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7500 FEET COULD EXCEED A FOOT. MODERATELY STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STORM...MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH DESERTS.

IN ORANGE COUNTY AND THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND RATES COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING...AS WELL AS MUD SLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED AREAS. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

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MAXWELL/BALFOUR