A chilly winter storm that arrived in the San Diego area over the weekend delivered more steady downpours Monday along with widespread flooding that swamped roadways and flooded homes across the region.
In the late morning, with rainfall rates approaching a half-inch per hour, the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning for the western valleys and the ocean coastline of the county, effective through midday.
As of 3 p.m., the top local three-day precipitation totals included 4.51 inches on Otay Mountain, 4.49 in Point Loma, 4.21 in National City, 4.01 in the Palomar area, 3.89 in La Mesa, 3.4 in Fallbrook, 3.39 on Birch Hill and 3.38 on Dulzura Summit.
Most other locales in the county received from 1 to 3.5 inches of moisture over the period, meteorologists reported.
The weather service said Monday was the fifth wettest day in San Diego since 1850.
San Diego Fire-Rescue crews performed over two dozen water rescues in San Diego and the Tijuana River valley, along with numerous vehicle rescues in various neighborhoods. They also used inflatable boats and rescue boards to help hundreds of residents escape badly flooded homes along Beta Street and surrounding roads in Southcrest.
During the morning and afternoon on Monday, the driving rains inundated streets, freeways and back roads across the region, according to the California Highway Patrol. Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., the CHP reported the following traffic disruptions in the San Diego area:
- Trees and rocks in traffic lanes at Jamul Heights Drive and Steele Canyon Road, Jamul;
- Flooding, 12100 block of Cuyamaca College Drive and at Fury Lane and Wieghorst Way, Rancho San Diego;
- Mudslide, eastbound Barrett School Road, Barrett Junction;
- Landslide, transition ramp from eastbound state Route 905 to northbound Interstate 805, Otay Mesa;
- Flooding, Jamacha Boulevard and Whitestone Road, and SR-125 at Jamacha and Paradise Valley roads, Spring Valley;
- Flooding, Kempton and Outinda streets, La Presa;
- Flooding, SR-15 at Interstate 5, Southcrest;
- Flooding, westbound Interstate 8 at College Avenue and Waring Road, Del Cerro;
- Flooding, northbound I-5 at 28th and 32nd streets, Logan Heights;
- Flooding, Carmel Valley Road and Winesprings Drive, 4S Ranch;
- Flooding, 9000 block of Harmony Grove Road, Elfin Forest;
- Flooding, westbound SR-94 at I-805, Mount Hope;
- Flooding, southbound I-805 near Imperial Avenue, Mountain View;
- Flooding, southbound I-5 near Via de la Valle, Del Mar;
- Mudslide, offramp from northbound I-805 to Imperial Avenue, Lincoln Park;
- Flooding, offramp from southbound SR-163 to Ash Street, East Village;
- Flooding, Palomar Airport Road onramp to northbound I-5, Carlsbad;
- Flooding, northbound I-805 at East Palomar Street, Chula Vista; and
- Flooding, westbound SR-94 at College Avenue, Oak Park.
- Flooding, northbound I-5 at Pershing Drive, Balboa Park;
- Mudslide, Lyons Valley Road at Skyline Truck Trail, Jamul;
- Mudslide, 9500 block of Date Street, Spring Valley;
- Flooding, I-805 at SR-94, Fairmount Park;
- Mud and rocks in the roadway, southbound I-5 at Balboa Avenue, Pacific Beach.
Mayor Todd Gloria declared an emergency in the city due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
The Red Cross opened an overnight emergency shelter at Lincoln High School, 4777 Imperial Ave., for residents impacted by flooding and storm damage. The city of San Diego opened a temporary shelter at the Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive. The location will remain open until 9 p.m. Monday.
Due to flooding, San Diego was temporarily relocating people staying at the city’s 16th and Newton Bridge Shelter to the Balboa Park Activity Center, and some residents at the 20th & B Safe Sleeping site to Golden Hall.
As of mid-afternoon, more than two dozen power outages had hit communities from the South Bay to the North County, at least some of them related to the inclement weather, according to San Diego Gas & Electric. In Lincoln Park, Logan Heights and Mountain View, blackouts left more than 9,000 addresses without electrical service in the late morning and early afternoon.
Due to potential storm-related utility problems, SDG&E issued a statement Monday morning urging the public to stay away from any downed or otherwise damaged power lines they might encounter. People should always assume that such compromised transmission equipment is energized and call 911 to report the hazard, the utility advised.
Updated at 7:44 a.m. Jan. 23, 2024
City News Service contributed to this article.
