Santa Ana winds finally delivered a big, direct hit on San Diego County Tuesday, gusting as high as 102 mph in the backcountry where a touch of long-overdue rain could arrive this weekend.
The two other major Santa Ana windstorms that surged into Southern California earlier this month — including the catastrophic blaze in the Los Angeles area — caused few problems here.
But the third Santa Ana windstorm arrived from the east-northeast before dawn Tuesday and moved largely unfettered through arid mountain es and canyons, spreading three wildfires in and around the Bonsall area.
Tuesday’s high winds led authorities to divert high-profile vehicles like tractor trailers from Interstate 8 between Alpine and Ocotillo. California Highway Patrol noted that a big rig was blocking traffic on I-8.
San Diego Gas & Electric cut power to more of its customers to minimize the chances of starting wildfires. Through 5 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 16,000 customers were without electricity and the utility warned that another 68,000 could potentially have their power lines shut off.
“The winds are peaking right now and will last through the morning,” said Adam Roser, a weather service forecaster. “Then they’ll fade. We could have more Santa Anas late Wednesday and early Thursday. They will be weaker. We might get about 0.25 inches of rain in the mountains on Saturday and Sunday — maybe a little more. But it won’t be enough to make the threat of wildfires go away.”
The need for rain is paramount. San Diego International Airport has recorded only 0.14 inches of precipitation since Oct. 1, when the rainy season began. That’s 4.11 inches below normal. The city is experiencing the driest rainy season since 1850.
High winds Tuesday morning led authorities to divert high-profile vehicles like tractor trailers from Interstate 8 between Alpine and Ocotillo. California Highway Patrol noted that a big rig was blocking traffic on I-8.
Significant winds were reported across most of San Diego County on Tuesday — but the big blasts were in the mountains, valleys and foothills. Here is a sample of the overnight wind speeds:
— Sill Hill in the Cuyamaca Mountains: 102 mph, equivalent to a category 2 hurricane
— Deer Canyon near Black Mountain: 80 mph, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane
— Crestwood: 77 mph
— Ha Mountain: 77 mph
— Sunrise Highway: 65 mph
— Descanso: 58 mph
— Alpine: 44 mph
— Ramona Airport: 36 mph
— Montgomery Field: 23 mph
Staff writer Rob Nikolewski contributed to this report.
