Tag Archive for: The San Diego Union-Tribune

Potent Winter Storm Brings Snow to the Mountains, Rain Everywhere Else

The tail of a potent Pacific storm is dropping snow across the San Diego County mountains and rain virtually everywhere else on what is expected to be the final day of nearly a week of cool, stormy weather. The National Weather Service predicted up to 8 inches of snow would fall in the mountains and as much as 6 inches in Julian. There could be up to 2 inches at the 2,500 foot level, forecasters said. The system also was expected to drop a quarter-inch of rain at and near the coast, and twice that across inland valleys and foothills, adding to the fall and winter bounty.

Wind-Packed Storm Topples Trees and Dumps Upwards of an Inch of Rain in San Diego County

One of the windiest rainstorms of the winter blasted San Diego County Saturday, downing trees — including one in Balboa Park that crushed cars — stranding drivers on flooded freeways, and trapping a hiker on a water-swept cliff in La Jolla. The winds gusted to 68 mph on Palomar Mountain, 60 mph in Coronado, 53 mph on North Island, 52 mph in Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and 50 mph on Silver Strand. The National Weather Service issued a special wind warning for San Diego International Airport out of concern that the storm would affect flights. The airport got gusts up to 46 mph.

Wetter, Colder, Windier Storm Heading For San Diego

A storm that’s far brawnier than the one that hit San Diego County on Thursday will blow ashore Saturday, dropping an inch or more of rain in San Diego, 1.50 inches across inland valleys and up to two inches in the mountains, says the National Weather Service. Strong gusts of wind are expected in East County, especially along the eastern stretch of Interstate 8. Wind speeds could reach 45 mph to 50 mph. The leading edge of the system will produce scattered showers late Friday night and on Saturday morning. Forecasters say the brunt of the storm will hit on Saturday afternoon and evening.

First Of Two Storms Could Drop 0.50 Inches Of Rain On San Diego On Thursday

The first of two Pacific storms will make shore late Wednesday night and drop between 0.25 inches and 0.50 inches of rain in greater San Diego during the day and evening, according to the National Weather Service. Daytime high temperatures will low be in the 60s at and near the coast, and the 50s and 40s inland. The second system is larger and colder. Forecasters say that storm will move into the region on Friday night and drop moderate to heavy rain on Saturday, and lighter, more sporadic precipitation on Sunday and possibly Monday.

Scripps’ New Program Forecast Imperial Beach Flooding, Helped City Brace For Impact

Massive waves crushed the Imperial Beach shoreline at dawn Friday, flooding sections of Seacoast Drive all the way to the Tijuana River Estuary. Many residents boarded up windows and put out sandbags in preparation for the 15-foot waves that covered the entire beach during high tide, inundating streets and garages. However, the city would’ve been caught off guard had it not been for an experimental warning system launched just months ago by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Otay Water District Uses Drones To Survey Facilities, Properties

When it’s time to inspect facilities, such as water tanks, or survey the topography of its properties, the Otay Water District now turns to technology it has embraced in the past year: drones. The water agency, which serves more than 225,000 customers in eastern and southern San Diego County, uses two camera-equipped drones to get a bird’s-eye view of its vast and mostly remote sites and facilities, which include 40 potable water reservoirs, more than 20 pump stations and a treatment plant.

Coastal Flooding Likely With Weekend’s High Tides; Cities Prep With Sandbags

Coastal flooding and beach erosion are possible through Monday during the annual ocean phenomenon known as king tides. Waves carrying sand and rocks are likely to wash over The Strand in Oceanside, the parking lots at Tamarack Avenue beach in Carlsbad and Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas, and other low spots along the coast. Parts of Highway 101 have been closed temporarily to clean up debris and repair damage left by the seasonal tides and waves in recent years.

New Escondido Council Reverses Two-Year-Old Water Plant Location Decision

The new Escondido City Council majority flexed its muscle Wednesday by reversing a decision made two years ago to build a recycled water desalination plant in the middle of the city near businesses, a retirement complex, and homes. The Washington Avenue and Ash Street site was strongly opposed by residents and business owners in the area when the council voted in 2017 to build the $15 million plant there. The facility is badly needed to divert used water from being dumped into the ocean and to bring less expensive, higher-quality water to avocado farmers in the eastern and northern parts of the city.

Lawsuit Alleges Poway Violated Clean Water Regulations

A Poway landowner has filed a Clean Water Act lawsuit against the city for allegedly failing to adhere to water pollution control permits in the Lake Poway area along the trails leading to Mount Woodson and Potato Chip Rock. Poway City Attorney Allen Fenstermacher on Tuesday said the city denies all claims made in the suit and will file a response next month. He said the plaintiff, Kevin T. Kelly, filed the suit after the city rejected his request to purchase his property.

Sunshine Should Return After A Stormy Week

Jimmy Cliff’s 1971 song “I Can See Clearly Now” should be appropriate on Friday and well into next week. After a series of storms, gone will be the dark clouds – and the rain. Friday is gonna be a bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day, according to the National Weather Service. An “atmospheric river” of moisture that drenched counties to the north on Thursday barely brushed San Diego, which had a gray and misty day but only 0.05 of an inch of rain by late afternoon. The North County was far wetter, with some spots registering several tenths of an inch.