Storms Brings Road Closures, Flooding To San Diego County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA – Heavy rainfall from a powerful storm system doused San Diego County Thursday morning, prompting several road closures and a school closure amid a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued a flash flood watch that will remain in effect until Thursday evening throughout the county. A wind advisory will remain in effect in the county mountains until 4 a.m. Saturday.

The weather service also issued a flash flood warning that will last until 11:45 a.m. Thursday for northern San Diego County, including Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Encinitas, Poway, Del Mar, Fallbrook and Escondido.

Rainfall rates Thursday are expected to reach 0.50 to 1 inch per hour everywhere except desert areas during the peak of the storm, which will last from about 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and could be higher than that during isolated thunderstorms, NWS meteorologist Miguel Miller said.

The San Diego County Office of Education announced that Vallecitos Elementary School in Rainbow was closed Thursday due to flooding.

As of 9 a.m., road closures in San Diego included:

- San Diego River crossings near Fashion Valley.
- Mission Road south of Murray Canyon Road in Mission Valley.
- Sefton Field and Hotel Circle Place in Mission Valley.
- Outer Road near Coronado Avenue in the Palm City area.
- Roselle Street near Estuary Way in the Rancho Penasquitos area.
- Carroll Canyon Road east of Mino Drive to Carroll Road in the Sorrento Valley area.
- The Carmel Mountain Road/ Sorrento Valley Road intersection.

Moderate flooding of the San Diego River is expected from late this morning until early Friday morning near Fashion Valley and Mission Valley, according to the weather service. Moderate flooding is also expected during the same period for the Santa Margarita River near Camp Pendleton.

Two-day precipitation totals as of 9 a.m. included 6.64 inches in the Palomar area; 6.12 inches at Birch Hill; 4.02 in Fallbrook; 3.22 in Julian; 2.85 in Valley Center; 2.66 in Pine Valley; 2.62 in Oceanside; 2.59 in Santa Ysabel; 2.45 at Mount Laguna; 1.90 in Ramona; 1.65 in Carlsbad; 1.61 in Escondido; 1.42 in Santee; 1.37 in Encinitas; 1.20 in Poway; 1.08 in La Mesa; 1.03 in Solana Beach; 0.91 at Montgomery Field; 0.86 near Fashion Valley; 0.67 at the Tijuana Estuary and Brown Field; 0.61 at Lindbergh Field; and 0.59 in San Ysidro, according to the weather service.

The highest precipitation total for the deserts were San Felipe with 1.65 inches, 1.16 near Coyote Creek, 1.18 in Borrego Palm Canyon and 0.66 in Borrego Springs.

Coastal and inland-valley areas are expected to get anywhere between 1.5 to 2.3 inches of rainfall Thursday while the mountains are forecast to receive between 5.5 and 7 inches of rainfall; between 1 and 3 inches is expected in the county deserts, forecasters said.

Snow levels will remain above 8,000 feet during the day, then drop to around 6,000 feet Thursday evening, Miller said.

South-to-southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching 55 mph, are expected to continue through Thursday evening, according to the NWS.

The most steady and intense rain is expected Thursday morning through early Thursday afternoon. Then the storm will die down by Thursday evening, Miller said.

A chance of scattered showers will return Friday evening and remain through Monday afternoon, the meteorologist said.

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--City News Service/Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch