Updated at 7:00 p.m, Friday, May 15
A blustery late-season Pacific storm drenched the San Diego area for a second day Friday, delivering more welcome moisture to the drought-weary region while causing quite a few rainy-day headaches for motorists.
By early afternoon, the unsettled atmospheric system had dropped a total of 2 inches of precipitation at Lake Cuyamaca; 1.99 in Pine Hills; 1.66 in Julian; 1.62 in Couser Canyon and at Lindbergh Field; 1.34 at Rainbow Camp; 1.27 at Henshaw Dam; 1.24 in Echo Dell; 1.16 in Descanso; and 1.13 in Mission Valley.
The downpours across the county resulted in the following milestone May 15 precipitation tallies, according to the National Weather Service:
- 1.56 inches in Campo, exceeding the prior record of 0.31, set in 1962;
- 1.43 on Palomar Mountain (0.17, 1953);
- 0.74 in Alpine (0.59, 1962);
- 0.68 in Chula Vista (0.08, 1938);
- 0.68 in Vista (0.29, 1962);
- 0.47 in Escondido (0.16, 1995); and
- 0.38 at Oceanside Harbor (0.36, 1989).
Additionally, Borrego experienced a record low maximum temperature of 61 degrees, the NWS reported.
Other rainfall totals included:
- 0.9 in Santa Ysabel;
- 0.86 along Cole Grade Road;
- 0.84 in Oceanside;
- 0.79 in the Granite Hills area of El Cajon;
- 0.75 in Barona, La Mesa and Lake Wohlford;
- 0.7 in Carlsbad and San Onofre;
- 0.66 in Alpine and Warner Springs;
- 0.56 in Oak Grove;
- 0.54 in Rincon Springs and Valley Center;
- 0.5 in Fallbrook;
- 0.47 in Escondido;
- 0.45 in San Marcos;
- 0.4 at Brown Field airport and in Encinitas;
- 0.39 in Ranchita;
- 0.2 at Miramar Lake and in San Felipe;
- 0.12 in Agua Caliente and Borrego Palm Canyon; and
- 0.08 in Ocotillo Wells.
Over the morning, the cloudbursts led to some predictable traffic problems on local roadways. Between midnight and noon, the California Highway Patrol logged 182 crashes, compared with the 100 to 170 collisions the agency responds to over a typical 24-hour period of fair weather. No serious injuries were reported.
The downpours also flooded some low-lying streets, including Avenida del Rio in Mission Valley and Monument Road in the Tijuana River Valley, authorities reported. Additionally, a mudslide blocked lanes at Holly Lanes and State Route 76 in Bonsall around midday Friday.
As of shortly before 2 p.m., the showers were diminishing, prompting the NWS to rescind a flash-flood advisory that had gone into effect in the early morning.
The storm was expected to move east out of the region Friday night, making way for fair but cool weekend weather marked by some night and morning low clouds west of the mountains, according to forecasters.
— City News Service
