Special Weather Statement
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
128 AM PST TUE DEC 28 2010

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-282200-
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-
128 AM PST TUE DEC 28 2010

...WINTER STORM TO AFFECT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA LATE TUESDAY NIGHT
AND WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY VERY COLD WEATHER...

A STRONG STORM APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL MOVE THROUGH LATE
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SHOWERS LINGERING THROUGH
THE DAY WEDNESDAY. THIS FAST MOVING SYSTEM SHOULD TAP INTO DEEP
MOISTURE RESULTING IN A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION
WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WEDNESDAY MORNING.

RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT A THIRD TO TWO THIRDS OF AN
INCH IN THE COASTAL AND VALLEYS AREAS WITH NEAR AN INCH ON THE
COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. HOWEVER...THERE COULD BE LOCAL LARGER
AMOUNTS ON THE SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
MOUNTAINS. THERE WILL GENERALLY BE MORE RAIN IN THE NORTH AND LESS
TO THE SOUTH. THE HIGH DESERTS SHOULD GET UP TO HALF AN INCH OF RAIN
WITH LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH IN THE LOWER DESERTS.

THE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL CAUSE RAPID RUNOFF AND FLOODING DUE TO
NEARLY SATURATED GROUND FROM RECENT RAIN. THIS COULD RESULT IN
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. THERE COULD BE DEBRIS FLOWS IN AND
BELOW RECENTLY BURNED AREAS AS WELL AS ROCK AND MUD SLIDES ON STEEP
TERRAIN...AND FURTHER EROSION OF RAIN SOAKED HILLSIDES.

THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE NEAR 6000 FEET IN THE NORTHERN AREAS TO
6500 FEET FARTHER SOUTH...THEN LOWER RAPIDLY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT
TO ABOUT 4000 FEET. HOWEVER...MOST OF THE WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION WILL BE OVER BY THE TIME THE SNOW LEVEL LOWERS.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAIN RESORT LEVELS AND THE HIGHER
RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS SHOULD RECEIVE ABOUT 3 TO 8 INCHES OF
SNOW. HOWEVER...THERE COULD BE LOCALLY NEAR A FOOT OF SNOW ON THE
HIGHEST PEAKS. THE HIGHER SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS COULD GET AN
INCH OR TWO OF SNOW. COLD AIR DAMMING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS COULD RESULT IN SNOW FLURRIES IN THE HIGH
DESERTS AS WELL.

STRONG GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS
SYSTEM...BECOMING EVEN STRONGER BEHIND THE FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH DESERTS WHERE
THERE COULD BE WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH. THESE WINDS COULD CAUSE
BROKEN TREE LIMBS...DOWNED TREES AND DOWNED POWER LINES. NEAR ZERO
VISIBILITY WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES DUE TO SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW.

DRY COLD NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING TEMPERATURES ABOUT 10 TO
20 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THERE WILL
LIKELY BE WIDESPREAD FROST IN THE INLAND VALLEYS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
NIGHTS.

PEOPLE TRAVELING LATE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR
THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS AND
PLAN ACCORDINGLY. THE RAIN WILL CAUSE SLICK ROADS AND MOTORISTS
SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED AREAS OR
AROUND BARRICADES. IF TRAVELING INTO THE MOUNTAINS...BE PREPARED FOR
THE POSSIBILITY OF WINTER STORM CONDITIONS WITH VERY LOW WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES.

$$

ATKIN