Rain to Linger for One More Day

Scattered Showers Continue

A cold low-pressure system brought a second consecutive day of rain and snow to San Diego County today but was expected to clear out by this evening.

According to the National Weather Service, showers today will be scattered, with isolated thunderstorms along the coast and heavy snowfall possible in the mountains and upper deserts. Showers will decrease in intensity through early this afternoon as the cold front moves southeast into northern Baja, the agency said.

A winter storm warning issued late Monday morning remains in effect until 2 p.m. for areas above 5,000 feet.

On Monday, seven inches of snow fell on Palomar Mountain and two inches fell on Mount Laguna. An additional three to five inches of snowfall is possible in the mountains today, according to the Weather Service.

As of Monday night, the storm had dropped 1.11 inches of rain at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad; 0.56 in Poway; 0.47 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar; 0.47 at Lindbergh Field in downtown San Diego; 0.75 in National City; 0.96 in Escondido; 0.73 in La Mesa; 0.56 in Alpine; 0.59 in Julian; 0.73 in Descanso; and 0.25 in Borrego Springs.

There were 222 crashes reported on the county's rain-slicked highways and freeways from midnight to 10 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency typically records 50-75 crashes a day in fair weather.

Among Monday's crashes was at least one fatality.

A 48-year-old Vista man died when the sedan he was riding in slid across wet pavement and spun into the path of an oncoming van on Interstate 15 at state Route 78 in Escondido, said California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Parent. The crash occurred about 9:40 a.m. and sent two other people to a hospital with injuries, according to Parent.

Suspect in Fatal Crash Due in Court

Arraignment is scheduled this afternoon for a man accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery four-car pile up in La Mesa that killed a woman and her grandson. Thirty-nine-year-old Justin Foulds faces charges of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of 73-year-old Celia Torres and 16-year-old David Gonzalez. The crash occurred on state Route 125 late last Friday afternoon. Foulds told CHP officers that he had been at an office Christmas party; however, his employer says .

Teens Accused of Rape to Stand Trial

A pair of 16-year-old boys accused of raping two teenage girls at knifepoint in a park in Rancho Penasquitos have been ordered to stand trial on charges that include rape and kidnapping. Leonel Contreras and William Steven Rodriguez are each charged in adult court and both face more than 325 years to life in prison if convicted. The alleged rapes occurred last Labor Day weekend after the girls wandered away from a nearby family gathering.

-City News Service