Rainstorm Rolls into San Diego

Urban runoff and high surf advisory issued, accidents reported around county

What was expected to be a major storm earlier in the week proved to be more gentle than giant.  Still, it brought an entire month of rain in one day.

"The main part of the storm never really hit us," explained meteorologist Greg Bledsoe. "It was the outer bands but they got us pretty good especially along the coast."

The coastal cities received most of the rainfall with Oceanside, Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea and La Jolla all reporting more than an inch of rain in the last 48 hours as of 6 a.m. Sunday.

Flooding and mud closed the The Strand between Tyson Street Park and Wisconsin Avenue on Saturday afternoon according to the North County Times.

The Swift Water Rescue Team was on alert though they were glad to see the weekend rain kept most people indoors.

One woman has to be rescued when her car became submerged in flood waters at Monument Road and Saturn Blvd. in San Ysidro, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.

The woman was trying to cross a flooded area when her vehicle got stuck in the water at about 11:47 p.m., SDFR official said.  She reportedly clung to a tree after being swept away from the car. Once lifeguards arrived on scene, she was rescued and later transported to Scripps Hospital in Chula Vista with unknown injuries.

In Mission Valley, yellow caution tape kept cars from going onto Avenida del Rio where water from the San Diego River overflowed into the street.

Julian, Descanso and Lake Cuyamaca registered more than 1.5 inches of rain over the last two days according to the National Weather Service.

More than 2100 customers lost power overnight but had power restored by 6 a.m. according to SDG&E.

According to California Highway Patrol's website, 24 incidents were reported between 12:53 p.m. and 3:20 p.m., however a CHP official said there were probably more.

Just after 3:00 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for the western part of the county, including mountains, valleys and coastal areas. The NWS reported that the areas could be at risk of localized street flooding or water ponds in the roadways.

The advisory was effective until 5:15 p.m.

San Diegans were urged to avoid swimming and surfing at local beaches after the rain. The Department of Environmental Health issued a general advisory asking locals to stay clear of ocean and bay waters due to rising levels of bacteria, also known as urban runoff.

Urban runoff may contain large amounts of bacteria from a variety of sources, the advisory said, this includes animal waste, soil, and decomposing vegetation.

This means activities such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided at all coastal beaches and Mission and San Diego Bay areas, it was reported.

The advisory was put into place for 72 hours following the rain, according to a media release.

By 8:00 a.m. Saturday, most of the county saw at least a little rain and even in the deserts where .01" was reported near Borrego Springs.  Point Loma had the highest total with just under a half inch but nearby, at the County's official reporting station, Lindbergh Field saw just over a quarter inch.

Because the storm was a combination of a cold, low pressure system out  of Alaska and warmer air from the sub-tropics, it was fairly warm in nature. This means little or no snow accumulation for the mountains of Southern California. 

Sunday's forecast is mostly sunny with a high of 68 degrees per NWS.

In summary, expect drying out during the first half of Sunday then a chance of some more showers during tomorrow afternoon or evening.  San Diegans should be dry come Monday and stay that way the rest of next week.

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