Travel to Mountains not Advised, as Crews Work to Clear Snow

The snow level in San Diego County was near 3,000 feet Monday, as the late winter storm moved out of the region, according to the National Weather Service.

The Department of Public Works advised people not to visit the mountains on Monday. Crews were plowing. Schools in Julian were closed due to the weather.

A winter weather advisory originally set to expire at 9 a.m. for the mountains was extended to 1 p.m. Affected areas included Boulevard, Campo, Cuyamaca, Descanso, Julian, Lake Henshaw, Mt. Laguna, Pine Valley, Santa Ysabel and Warner Springs. In addition to snow, wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour were in the mountains Monday morning, the Weather Service advised. In the deserts, a wind advisory was scheduled until 10 a.m. And along the coast, where 7- to 10-foot waves are reported, a high surf advisory was in effect until 10 a.m.

In the mountains, the first two days of the storm brought at least 10 inches of snow on Palomar Mountain, at least 12 inches in Julian and 18 to 24 inches on Mt. Laguna, the NWS and Department of Public Works reported. Chains were required on Palomar Mountain and Mt. Laguna. Snow gates remained closed at the north end of Sunrise Highway on Mt. Laguna due to drifting snow. Interstate 8 was closed 6 miles east of Alpine to Ocotillo Wells but was due to re-open by 9 a.m. Snow was reported in Borrego, on S2 and at the top of the hill in Ranchita. Crews were plowing. Chains were required on Montezuma Grade for a while, but the chain control was lifted later on Monday.

A small craft advisory for hazardous seas was scheduled to expire at 11 a.m., but a small craft advisory for winds was set to take effect, lasting through Monday evening.

The NWS reported that as of 8:45 p.m. Sunday, the storm -- which first struck Saturday morning -- dropped a total of 1.13 inches of rain in Vista, 0.5 inches at Lindbergh Field, 0.73 inches in National City, 1.5 inches in Rancho San Diego, 2.85 inches in Alpine, 2.24 inches in Potrero, 1.93 inches at Mt. Woodson, 1.72 inches in Escondido and 1.89 inches in Valley Center.

A frost advisory is scheduled in the valleys from late Monday night until early Tuesday. During the advisory period, temperatures in the valleys will fall to near freezing, the Weather Service reported.

-- City News Service contributed to this report.