It wasn’t the kind of “March Miracle” that had erased San Diego County’s water worries in the past. But the loud and rowdy storm that drenched the region Thursday greatly eased the palpable threat of wildfires,

While a cold, winter storm drenched most of San Diego County on Thursday, the mountain ranges were getting a fresh dusting of white snow. The National Weather Service was receiving reports of an inch-and-a-half of snow in Julian and less than an inch of wet snow on Volcan Mountain.