OVER A FOOT OF SNOW ON MT.LAGUNA, RAINS DRENCH REGION

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Above, Jim Pelley sent us photo of snow-covered Laguna Mountains, viewed from desert in Ocotillo

Below, Fox 5 TV tweeted image of news van on Mt. Laguna for a "San Diego snow day"

January 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – After four years of drought, when it rains, it pours!  During the past 72 hours, the National Weather Service reports heavy snowfall in our local mountains including 12 to 15 inches on Mt. Laguna.  In addition, many communities soaked up  several inches of rain, topped by Mt. Woodson with nearly seven and a half inches.

Here are highlights on the snow and rainfall totals over the past three days.

Skiers, rejoice! Big Bear reports 30 inches of snow.  Here in San Diego County, Mt. Laguna had 12-15 inches of snow earlier today, with more snow likely to fall tonight.  Mount Palomar has 7 inches of snow,  Julian around 6 inches, while the snow level dipped down to Descanso

and Pine Valley along Interstate 8, which each got an inch of snow.

As for rainfall, Ramona got doused with 5.4 inches.  Barona, Santee,Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon and Alpine all got over 4 inches, while LaMesa and El Cajon had more than 3 inches of rain. Out in the desert, Borrego Springs had nearly 3 inches while Ocotillo Wells got about an inch. 

San Diego’s Lindbergh Field reported 2.77 inches of rain, while Fashion Valley got 3.23 inches as the San Diego River overflowed its banks, flooding parking lots and low-lying roadways.

See storm totals for more areas here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/display_product.php?sid=SGX&pil=RRM