Winter made a wet, blustery return Monday across San Diego County, with wild winds that inconvenienced thousands of airline passengers and heavy rain that kept countless people inside on a quiet President’s Day. At one point, winds were gusting 50-55 mph along a line that stretched from Poway to P oint Loma, drawing an alert from the National Weather Service. The winds ended up delaying 193 flights at San Diego International Airport, and whipped up ocean waves that are expected to reach the 9- to 12-foot range this week at local beaches, potentially causing beach erosion. People walk in the pouring rain in Pacific Beach on February 16, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The rowdiness represented the first wave of an Alaskan storm that drew extra  moisture from the subtropics. A second wave will pass through from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, bringing more rain, and winds that could again reach the 30- to 45-mph range at the coast. Forecasters estimate that San Diego will receive about one inch of rain over a four-day period that began on Monday, pushing its seasonal total to about 9 inches. The city averages less than 10 inches of precipitation during the so-called rainy season, which begins each year on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30 of the following year. Carlsbad police officers were on the scene of a large downed Eucalyptus branch directing traffic on Jefferson Street by Buena Vista Lagoon. By midday almost a half-inch of rain had fallen in parts of North County San Diego Monday. (John Gastaldo / For the Union-Tribune) The rain the county has recorded since October has virtually eliminated the risk of large wildfires, at least for the next few months. But scientists say the water is causing erosion along coastal bluffs, especially in the Torrey Pines area, raising the risk of rock and mud slides. Rainfall totals Forecasters issued the following rainfall totals shortly before 4 p.m. Monday: Skyline Ranch, 0.90 inches; Santee, 0.83 inches; Barona, 0.79 inches; Valley Center, 0.77 inches; Mt. Woodson, 0.76 inches; Kearny Mesa, 0.67 inches; Carlsbad, 0.62 inches; Fallbrook, 0.61 inches; Fashion Valley, 0.60 inches; La Mesa, 0.60 inches; Ramona, 0.59 inches; Escondido, 0.59 inches; Point Loma, 0.57 inches; Poway, 0.55 inches; National City, 0.27 inches; San Diego International Airport, 0.23 inches; Chula Vista, 0.22 inches; North Island, 0.12 inches. ...read more read less