For a second straight year, San Diego County is likely to be drier and cooler than normal this winter, partly due to the climate phenomenon known as La Niña, which often helps steer storms away from Southern California, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The agency didn’t specify how much rain is predicted to fall or precisely how cool temperatures will get in its recently released winter forecast, which covers the period from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28.
Instead, NOAA used computer models to produce a generalized forecast of the three-month period. It did so because forecasters have a limited understanding of what the atmosphere will be like beyond a couple of weeks.
NOAA’s annual winter forecast also says that drought conditions are likely to persist across Southern California, especially in San Diego County’s backcountry.
The rain the county received in early October helped ease drought conditions a bit. But the overall picture is still worrisome. The northeast corner of the county is experiencing extreme drought, says the U.S. Drought Monitor. The rest of the region is in severe drought.
Fortunately, the region has yet to receive any major Santa Ana windstorms this fall. The Santa Anas can spark vegetation fires even in the wake of region-wide rain.