A surprise storm delivered rain and snow to the county yesterday, causing mudslides and road closures and stranding hundreds of motorists on Interstate 8 through the mountains, sending many to shelter at the Golden Acorn Casino. . . .
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The storm caught National Weather Service forecasters off guard. On Wednesday night, they listed only a 20 percent chance of rain in the county and predicted that if it did arrive, it would be light. “We were expecting drizzle,” forecaster Stan Wasowski said.
Instead, the day brought the whole gamut of precipitation: snow, sleet, hail and rain, plus booms of thunder. . . . Snow was reported in Jamul and on the hills above Peñasquitos. Flakes were reported in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, where the elevation is less than 600 feet.
Late yesterday afternoon, the CHP closed eastbound Interstate 8 at Willows Road east of Alpine because of the snow.
Heavy snow fell in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Mount Laguna, Palomar Mountain, Ranchita and Descanso. Julian had 6 inches of snow by 5 p.m.
At the La Jolla Indian Reservation near Palomar Mountain, Tribal Chairman Tracy Nelson marveled at the snow falling outside the trading post on state Route 76 at about 3,000 feet. By late afternoon, about 4 inches had piled up, he said. “I don't think I've ever seen snow like this,” said Nelson, a 16-year resident of the reservation. . . . |