Saturday's weather update & Forest Service announcement

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
149 PM PST SAT JAN 16 2010

For Forest Service possible road closures see comment below…

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-172200-
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-
149 PM PST SAT JAN 16 2010

...BIG CHANGES IN THE WEATHER NEXT WEEK...

A SERIES OF STORMS WILL BRING PERIODS OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND
STRONG WINDS NEXT WEEK WITH SNOW AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

THE FIRST STORM WILL ARRIVE MONDAY AND BRING RAIN...POSSIBLY HEAVY
BY MONDAY EVENING. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE HIGH MONDAY...AROUND 7000
FEET...SO SNOW WILL BE RESTRICTED TO RESORT LEVELS. STRONG GUSTY
WINDS WILL OCCUR LATE MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. SUBSEQUENT STORMS
WILL IMPACT THE AREA TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND BRING MORE
RAIN...HEAVY AT TIMES.

THIS ALL WEEK LONG EVENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE RAINFALL OF 5
TO 8 INCHES NEAR THE COAST...AND 15 TO LOCALLY 25 INCHES ON THE
COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. EVEN THE DESERT LOCATIONS ARE LIKELY TO
RECEIVE BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN.

SNOW LEVELS WILL MOSTLY FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 5500 AND 7000 FEET WHICH
WOULD CONFINE HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN
THE SAN BERNARDINO AND SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS. AROUND 4 FEET OF
SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE AT THE HEAVIEST LOCATIONS.

WITH THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS EXPECTED...THERE IS HIGH LIKELIHOOD
OF FLASH FLOODING...ALONG WITH MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS...ESPECIALLY IN
AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED AREAS. THERE COULD ALSO BE ROCK SLIDES
ALONG MOUNTAIN HIGHWAYS...MAKING TRAVEL IMPASSABLE AT TIMES. THE
THREAT OF FLOODING WILL BE HIGHEST DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THEWEEK AS THE SOIL BECOMES MORE SATURATED.

WITH THE HEAVY SNOW FALL AMOUNTS EXCEPTED...THERE IS A POSSIBILITY
OF AVALANCHES FOR AREAS LOCATED BELOW THE STEEPER SLOPES OF THE
HIGHER SAN BERNARDINO AND SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS.

THE STRENGTH OF THE JET STREAM DRIVING THESE STORMS IS OVER 200 MPH
AND THE STORMS THEMSELVES WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY ONSHORE IN QUICK
SUCCESSION.

AS A RESULT THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE STRONG WINDS THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT
WEEK. OVER THE COASTAL WATERS GALE FORCE OR HIGHER WINDS ARE
EXPECTED. OVER LAND...DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY TO PRECEDE THE
ARRIVAL OF EACH STORM. WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE
FOR THE COASTS AND VALLEYS...WHILE THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS MAY
HAVE GUSTS 60 MPH OR HIGHER.