SAN DIEGO — A second more powerful storm system prompting first-ever blizzard warnings in parts of Southern California is expected to dump more rain and mountain snow in San Diego soon.

So far, most areas in San Diego County have remained dry Friday morning and afternoon, but heavier and more widespread showers are expected to move in late tonight and into most of the day Saturday.

The storm system is taking its time making its way into our coverage area, so now the brunt of the storm is expected Saturday morning. This storm is different than the previous one in that it continues to tap into weak atmospheric moisture, which will bring us heavier rainfall and mountain snowfall rates.

A Blizzard Warning is in effect for Big Bear and the rest of San Bernardino County Mountains where three to five feet of snow above 5,000 feet is expected Friday morning through Saturday. One to three feet of snow could fall between 4,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation. While blizzard conditions are not expected in San Diego County mountains, a Winter Storm Warning is still in effect until Saturday afternoon. Locally, we could get a few more inches of snowfall this weekend with Julian picking up an additional eight to 12 inches of snow, Mt. Laguna six to eight inches and more than a foot of snow possibly for Palomar Mountain and Mt. Laguna.

Any sort of mountain travel is highly discouraged, as many roads may get closed or become impassable.

Southerly winds will stay steady over the next 12 hours, with some gusts up to 45 miles per hour along coast and inland valleys. 

For the rain, showers are expected to become more widespread in San Diego County by late Friday night around 10 p.m. Most of the rain will pass through while we are sleeping, but Saturday morning will be messy. With the potential for high rainfall rates, a Flood Watch is in effect for majority of the region.

By Sunday morning, beaches and inland valleys could get two to two-and-a-half inches of rain on top of three-day rainfall totals. 

Most of the rain looks to taper off by Sunday morning, but some isolated shower activity can’t be ruled out for Sunday afternoon