First snow of winter in San Diego County blankets highest peaks
SAN DIEGO — San Diego County’s tallest peaks received its first dusting of snow on Wednesday as the first in a pair of storms this week started to move through the region.
Photos and videos of Mount Laguna, one of the region’s highest points at 6,000 ft., showed that the area started to see its first flakes around 11:45 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. By 1 p.m., about an inch to two inches of snow appeared to blanket parts of the mountain area.
That includes outside the Laguna Mountain Lodge on Sunrise Highway. Images from the lodge’s live web camera captured between 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday can be found below.
Snow starting to blanket the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:18 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge) Snow falling at the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:29 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge) Snow falling at the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:36 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge) Snow blanketing the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:51 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge)
Moderate snow accumulation in the area is expected to continue through the night Wednesday. According to NWS, less than half and inch is possible during this time.
Farther north, other parts of Southern California’s mountains have already seen more substantial amounts of snowfall with this storm.
Preliminary reports from NWS estimate that Snow Valley and Big Bear Mountain Summit received about three to four inches of snow over the last 12 hours. Meanwhile, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, Big Bear Lake and Wrightwood has seen about two inches.
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However, this likely will not be the only snowfall the area receives this week, as another storm fueled by the Polar Jet coming down from Canada is expected to reach the area by Sunday.
Forecasters said earlier this week the second storm system could bring with it some of the “coldest air of the season” thus far, dropping snow levels to about 4,000 to 4,500 feet. This means that lower-elevation areas in the county like Julian could see some snow showers, in addition to those that saw accumulations on Wednesday.
Although, the biggest impact of this storm is likely to be some of the coldest low temperatures of the season to date Sunday night. Outside San Diego, some areas in San Bernardino County are expected to see below freezing temperatures during this time.
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