Storms Poised To Hit Poway Tuesday

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — Another powerful atmospheric-river-fueled storm is expected to slam Southern California Tuesday bringing torrential downpours, flooding and snow at higher elevations — but San Diego County may escape the brunt it.

The storm is expected to be far more powerful in Southern California than last week’s, and is expected to hit Ventura and Los Angeles counties hardest on Tuesday.

While the local mountains could receive several inches of rain, coastal and valleys could get nearly 2 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. The mountains and foothills will receive the highest rates of rain, possibly between a half-inch and 1 inch per hour.

Forecasters said there is a 5 percent chance that San Diego County will see rainfall exceeding levels that can cause flash flooding.

“Flood watch in effect for most of southwest California tonight thru early Wed. This is a very wet storm, with a lot of water over already saturated grounds,” the weather service warned. “Expect significant road and creek flooding. Moderate threat of river flooding and burn scar debris flows.

"Confidence is fairly high that this storm will bring significant widespread heavy rainfall to the region. In fact, it will be a big surprise if it does not do so."

While rain is likely to start falling in the pre-dawn hours in San Diego County, the brunt of the storm is expected to hit the area late Tuesday afternoon through late Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather.

"There will likely be widespread and significant roadway flooding across the region from this storm, but there may also be more significant flooding, with mud and debris flows, rock slides, and some flooding of creeks and rivers," according to the NWS.

Although the storm will be particularly wet, forecasters said the snow level will remain above 8,000 feet, with little to no accumulations anticipated, according to AccuWeather.

Dry weather is expected to return Wednesday night through Thursday night, with another smaller system sliding into the area by Friday and lasting into the weekend although the bulk of that storm will likely remain to the north, resulting in a mostly dry but cool weekend.

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--City News Service contributed to this report.