Wednesday’s light rain in San Diego County could be followed by much bigger system

A weak Pacific storm dropped mostly light but beneficial rain across much of San Diego County Wednesday and may be followed by a much bigger system that could arrive late Sunday night, the National Weather Service says.

Forecasters say Camp Pendleton got 0.67 of an inch of rain, and Oceanside received 0.57. But other communities reported these more modest totals: Vista, 0.36; Carlsbad, 0.33; Encinitas, 0.30; Miramar Lake, 0.24; San Diego International Airport, 0.21; Poway, 0.20; Miramar, 0.16;  Ramona, 0.16; Brown Field, 0.16; Escondido, 0.14; Chula Vista, 0.13; National City, 0.13; Valley Center, 0.11; Point Loma, 0.10.

The rain is considered beneficial because it hasn’t fallen hard enough to cause flooding, and it will help tamp down the risk of wildfires.

The storm will clear off to the east by early Thursday. But temperatures will continue to be on the cool side. San Diego’s daytime high is expected to reach 66 on Thursday, 68 on Friday and 69 on Saturday. The seasonal high is 66.

Forecasters say conditions will be dry Saturday when many Little League games get underway.

The weather will start to change Sunday when a low-pressure system sinks south. Computer models say it’s possible San Diego County will receive 1 to 2 inches of rain Monday through Wednesday. Forecasters stressed that those figures are preliminary.