Wet road conditions bring surge of crashes

By City News Service

Light rain and drizzle fell in San Diego County on Monday morning, causing a spike in traffic crashes.

A total of 64 crashes were reported to the California Highway Patrol between midnight and 9 a.m. The agency advised that 46 of those crashes occurred between 7 and 9 a.m.

The CHP figure does not include crashes on city streets.

In dry weather, the CHP records 50-75 crashes over a 24-hour period.

According to the National Weather Service, a deep marine layer combined with a weak disturbance aloft will cause the light rain and drizzle to last in coastal and valley areas until this afternoon. Isolated showers were expected to continue in the mountains into this afternoon.

Rainfall totals generally will be light in coastal areas, with less than a tenth of an inch expected, according to the Weather Service, which advised that rain totals will be slightly high in the valleys.

Automated NWS rain gauges have recorded anywhere from one to three inches of rain in various San Diego County spots in just the past week, part of an unusually rainy October.

Since July 1, when the weather service begins its statistical year, 1.88 inches of rain have fallen at the official San Diego reporting station at Lindbergh Field, which is 313 percent of normal, according to NWS data.

Also since July 1, 2.71 inches have been recorded in Rancho Bernardo, 3.26 inches at the Ramona Airport and 4.10 inches at Oceanside Municipal Airport. No averages from prior years are available for comparison.

The Weather Service also advised that there will be 25 to 35 mph wind with gusts of up to 50 mph in the mountains and deserts through Monday, and a snow level of 8,000 feet.

Once the rain clears out, sunnier and warmer weather is forecast, until the next chance of precipitation arrives Friday.