The sixth major storm to hit San Diego County since November unleashed heavy rain across much of the region before dawn Wednesday, further saturating slide-prone coastal bluffs and bringing urban waterways to life once again, the National Weather Service said.
A sluggish storm following an uncertain path is expected to reach San Diego County Tuesday and drop 0.6 to 1.3 inches of rain from the coast to the inland valleys, and possibly 1 inch of snow on mountain peaks, the National Weather Service said.
It’s a race against the rain as Encinitas city workers try to stabilize a growing sinkhole on Lake Drive. Rainfall last Friday totaling 1.3 inches caused the pre-existing sinkhole on Lake Drive to expand.
Patricia Dunlap, who lives nearby said, “It’s getting bigger and bigger with more rains coming. It’s a scary thing.”
The National Weather Service office in San Diego is monitoring the potential development of another atmospheric river, which could bring rain to the region on Friday and Saturday.
“Southern California will be on the southern edge of the atmospheric river bringing periods of precipitation Friday and Saturday,” the weather service said.
The latest in a lengthy spate of blustery storms making for a wet and icy winter in the San Diego area brought more widespread precipitation and stiff winds to the region Wednesday, but Thursday will be sunny and warmer after a cold morning.
By late Wednesday morning, the unsettled atmospheric system out of the northwest, which moved over the county early in the workweek, had delivered more than three inches of rain in some areas, scattered hail and upward of 10 more inches of snow in the mountains, the National Weather Service reported.
Here’s how much rain fell across San Diego County during the five day period ending at 1 a.m on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Although the number wasn’t huge for San Diego, the city has now received 9.57 inches of rain since the rainy season began on October 1. That’s only 0.20 inches below what the city averages from October 1 to September 30.
We fell asleep to the sound of rain Sunday night and early birds who awoke bright and early Monday heard the last bit of showers passing through San Diego County.
The overnight storm made for a wet early morning commute and resulted in measurable rain for the county. Those who are in East County passing El Cajon got more rain than the rest of the region. Elsewhere, the rain measured below an inch.
If you thought San Diego County was off to a particularly wet start to the new year, you’re absolutely right. The National Weather Service said with January, the region experienced its wettest month since February 2005.
Winter storms brought measurable rain to the county last month, bringing a rain total of 5.14 inches, according to the agency. The average January rainfall in San Diego is 1.98 inches, to give you a better idea of how wet conditions have been.
Another multi-day storm soaked San Diego County to start this week. Thankfully, this one didn’t bring surging tides and destructive winds along with it — but it did bring snow.
That means instead of counting toppled trees and calculating damage to city infrastructure, we can just focus on how much water fell from the sky.
The Canadian storm that arrived late Sunday night and moved out early Tuesday left significant rain across San Diego County. Here are the totals for 45 local communities, through 5 a.m. Tuesday. The final snowfall totals aren’t in yet.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
