National Weather Service: Julian May See 4-8 Inches of Snow Tuesday

A winter storm could drop snow at low elevations of Southern California Tuesday evening and Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned today, including in Julian.

But the storm will be hit-and-miss, much like the storm last week that hit some mountain locations with more than two feet of snow and left others with mere dustings, said meteorologist Rich Thompson at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

Winter storm watches were posted today by the San Diego forecasters, warning about snow in the mountains above Orange County, as well as the higher points of the Inland Empire and San Diego County.

"We're not quite at that point yet," Thompson said. "But we have issued a special weather statement that says the same thing."

Snow levels will start at 6,000 feet Tuesday afternoon, and then drop to 2,000 feet by Wednesday morning as cold reinforcing air comes in from the Aleutian islands, the NWS said.

Big Bear, Arrowhead and Wrightwood could get another two feet of snow, the San Diego office warned. Pine Valley and Julian might see 4-8 inches.

Interstate 8 in East County could be expected to be snow-covered Tuesday night into Wednesday, the statement said. Snow might freeze on the freeway from Alpine into Imperial County.

Coastal and valley locations can expect between a third of an inch, and one inch, of rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday, Thompson told City News Service.

Thunderstorms and thunder-snow storms could develop Wednesday. "These could deliver a dusting on one mountain, and 10-15 inches of snow on the other," Thompson said.

"This will just be one of those cold and showery winter storms," Thompson said.

—City News Service