Crowds Enjoy Wintry Weather; Ramona Only Route to Julian Snow

Heavy traffic flowed up the hill from San Diego through Ramona on state Routes 67 and 78 Sunday to Julian to visit the snow. Julian was only accessible via Ramona because parts of state Route 79 and Sunrise Highway were closed so snowplows could clear them. The California Highway Patrol required motorists to use chains through the mountains due to icy roads.

A traffic jam in the Julian area ensued.

A Julian resident measured 18 inches of snow on Sunday, although official reports were closer to 6 inches.

Snow levels in San Diego County dropped as low as 1,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Mountains above 1,000 feet received 1 to 2 feet of snow, including Mount Laguna and Palomar Mountain, the Weather Service reported.

Mount Laguna had the highest recorded snowfall at about 26 inches.

In Ramona, a snowman in Ramona Oaks, created at midnight Saturday, was still standing Sunday. San Vicente Golf Course was white with a shallow snowfall by Sunday morning, but it melted by Sunday afternoon. The highest elevations in the San Diego Country Estates, Ramona Oaks, Barona Mesa areas received about 3 inches of snow.

City News Service contributed to this report.