San Diego County’s muggy monsoonal weather won’t end until Thursday

The muggy, monsoonal weather that produced hundreds of lightning bolts and scattered rain Tuesday in San Diego County won’t fade away until Thursday, and it could return early next week, the National Weather Service said.

The monsoon, which was unusually weak for most of the summer, grew strong before dawn Tuesday, carrying plumes of moisture into the region from the Gulf of California.

Thunderstorms erupted across much of the eastern half of the county, accounting for most of the 567 lightning bolts that were recorded through 3 p.m. Forecasters say 107 of those bolts hit the ground, mainly in the mountains, foothills and desert.

The eruption was particularly striking to people who were in the Borrego Springs area early Tuesday, looking off to the east.

Forecasters say lightning is possible Wednesday, but it’s likely to be confined to a smaller area of southeastern San Diego County, including along Interstate 8 east of Pine Valley. That region is experiencing extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The air will mostly dry out by Friday, and daytime high temperatures will be near seasonal levels for most areas.