It’s coming — and it’s big.
But it’s not Santa’s sleigh: An incoming storm system will put San Diego County under a flood watch on Christmas Eve.
Currently, the National Weather Service has San Diego County under a flash flood watch from Wednesday at 4 a.m. through Thursday at 1 a.m.
Lauren Villafane, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, said that this low-pressure storm system will be even stronger than last month’s atmospheric river.
“We have a lot more moisture with this one, so we’re expecting heavier rain rates and more rainfall,” she said.
Dubbed a “Pineapple Express” type atmospheric river, the tropical storm is traveling across the state, hitting the Bay Area and Los Angeles as well.
The storm is moving south, triggering a flood watch in Orange county only a handful of hours before San Diego — which will give San Diego a glimpse of the action before it really starts to pour.
While there’s a chance that it will rain on Tuesday, Villafane said that Wednesday is guaranteed to bring the bulk of heavy rains.
There’s not a guaranteed time that will see the majority of the precipitation on Wednesday. The entire day, she said, will depend on how fast or slow the low pressure system decides to move.
A high chance of rain will continue through Thursday and Friday. It will start to come down around Saturday and not really fizzle out until Sunday.
As far as predictions on how much rain the county will see: From Tuesday to Thursday morning, it’s estimated that the coast will get around 2 to 3 total inches of rainfall — and the mountains even more.
The city of San Diego will be distributing free sandbags to residents. The bags do not come pre-filled and the city won’t be providing sand, just the bags. Residents are limited to 10 bags per household and can pick these up at the following locations during recreation center open hours.
Sandbags are available to be picked up from the following locations:
- Council District 1 – Pacific Beach Recreation Center, 1405 Diamond St.
- Council District 2 (inland) – North Clairemont Recreation Center, 4421 Bannock Ave.
- Council District 2 (coastal) – Robb Field Athletic Area, 2525 Bacon St.
- Council District 3 – Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive
- Council District 4 – Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 6401 Skyline Drive
- Council District 5 – Scripps Ranch Recreation Center, 11454 Blue Cypress Drive
- Council District 6 – Standley Recreation Center, 3585 Governor Drive
- Council District 7 – Allied Gardens Recreation Center, 5155 Greenbrier Ave.
- Council District 8 – Silver Wing Recreation Center, 3737 Arey Drive
- Council District 8 – Southcrest Recreation Center, 4149 Newton Ave.
- Council District 9 – City Heights Recreation Center, 4380 Landis St.
Any storm-related issues such as flooding or downed trees can be reported to the city through the Get It Done app or by calling (619) 527-7500.
