Another storm on its way to Southern California

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Partly cloudy skies are expected today throughout San Diego County ahead of a storm that will arrive by Tuesday night and bring a moderate amount of rain throughout the region, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm, currently off the coast of northern California, will make its way into southern California by Tuesday night and create a chance of rain through Thursday morning, forecasters said.

High surf is expected at the beaches ahead of the storm, with waves between 6-8 feet and set of 9 feet expected between 10 a.m. today and 10 a.m. Tuesday.

This storm will be warmer and less windy than the one that brought snow in the mountains and heavy rain at times throughout the region last week, NWS meteorologist Miguel Miller said.

Snow levels won't be nearly as low as they were last week and no snow is expected below 8,000 feet, Miller said.

Winds in the mountains and along desert slopes will top out at 35 to 45 mph on Wednesday, the meteorologist said.

Rainfall totals through Thursday could reach 0.5 to 1 inch in the western valleys, a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch in coastal areas, 1 to 2.25 inches in the mountains and less than a half-inch in the deserts, according to the NWS.

Temperatures will stay much warmer this week, with highs expected to dip to the low-60s in the western valleys and coastal areas, mid-50s in the mountains and high-50s in the deserts before rising through Sunday.

High temperatures today could reach 71 degrees near the coast and inland, 71 in the western valleys, 63 in the mountains and 70 in the deserts.