SAN DIEGO - Just a few scattered showers lingered throughout San Diego County early today as the year's first fall storm slowly made its exit to the east.

The low pressure system made landfall late Wednesday into early Thursday, dropping temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal along the coast and 10 to 20 degrees below normal inland.

The National Weather Service reported a new record temperature was set on Palomar Mountain Thursday. The daytime high was the coldest it's ever been at 50 degrees -- two degrees cooler than the previous record low high for an October 11, which was set in 2000.

The storm also dropped a record .44 inches of rain in Oceanside, breaking the previous rainfall high of .35 inches for the same date in 1987.

Though mostly light to moderate showers are expected today, brief heavy downpours are possible, according to a NWS advisory.

The agency urged motorists to slow down on wet roads.

The weekend is expected to bring a gradual warming trend along with fair weather, NWS meteorologist Tina Stall said.

Showers and snow possible tonight and tomorrow

SAN DIEGO - Showers and isolated thunderstorms could hit the San Diego County coast late today Advertisement

[ Metalography ] as a fall storm moves inland, forecasters said.

The eastward-moving, low-pressure system is expected to bring numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms throughout the county all day Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The rain should let up Thursday night into early Friday, with a possibility of just a few lingering showers in the mountains Friday afternoon, according to the agency.

General rainfall amounts are expected to range from a quarter-inch near the coast to an inch in the mountains. In the deserts, less than a quarter-inch is expected.

The storm is expected to cause temperatures to drop around 10 degrees below average in the mountains at lower elevations and about 20 degrees below average at higher elevations and in inland valleys.

"This is a sharp contrast to early last week when high temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees above average," noted an NWS advisory.

The snow level Thursday could drop to between 6,500 and 7,000 feet, with a few inches of snowfall possible on the higher peaks, mainly above 7,000 feet, according to the Weather Service.

Highs today are expected to peak in the high 60s to low 70s in coastal and valley areas, 60s in the mountains and mid-80s in the deserts.