How Much Did the Holiday Rain Help in San Diego?

In lockstep with Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve celebrations, rain returned to San Diego County with vengeance, leading to record-breaking daily totals and palm fronds littering the road.

Five cities in the county recorded their wettest New Year’s Day on record, including San Diego and Chula Vista, which unsurprisingly led to flooding in Fashion Valley along the San Diego River. Despite our previous Water Year ending with about a 40% deficit, our new Water Year (which began October 1) now shows a huge surplus that will help alleviate drought conditions. Furthermore, our latest Drought Monitor now shows that none of the state of California is classified as abnormally dry. It’s the first time in 25 years that has happened.