Wet Christmas Eve expected in parts of county

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A wet Christmas Eve is in store for parts of San Diego County.

Scattered showers will continue Tuesday everywhere except the deserts and the showers are expected to linger through Christmas night, according to the National Weather Service.

Another storm will make its way into the region on Christmas night and bring heavier rainfall along with snow at lower elevations in the mountains through Friday morning, forecasters said.

A winter storm watch will be in effect from Wednesday evening through late Thursday night in the San Diego County mountains.

Rainfall totals today are expected to reach up to three-tenths of an inch near the coast, up to a quarter-inch in the inland valleys and up to three-quarters of an inch in the mountains.

Snow levels will remain above 5,000 feet today, then drop to around 4,000 feet on Wednesday night.

As of 4 a.m., San Onofre had received the most rain in the last 24 hours, 1.85 inches, followed by 1.74 inches at Brown Field, 1.68 on Otay Mountain, 1.66 at Lake Cuyamaca, 1.37 in Kearny Mesa, 1.35 in Dulzura, 1.3 in Escondido, 1.22 in Descanso, 1.18 at Montgomery Field, 1.16 in Encinitas, 1.13 in Alpine and Santee, 1.07 in Poway and 1.06 in Oceanside.

Other noteworthy rainfall totals included 0.91 in Julian and in San Marcos, 0.85 in La Mesa, 0.72 in Carlsbad, 0.65 in Fallbrook, 0.49 in Ramona, 0.45 in Ocotillo Wells and 0.23 in Borrego Springs.

High temperatures today could reach 57 degrees near the coast and inland, 56 in the western valleys, 52 near the foothills, 47 in the mountains and 64 in the deserts.