NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes takes a look at in Southcrest as rescue crews work to open the roadways.
UPDATES: For the latest information on the storm, see NBC 7's aftermath coverage here.
A powerful storm system inundated San Diego County with with heavy downpours Monday that caused flooded roadways, several car crashes and water rescues across San Diego County.
Morning commuters were hit with the worst of the storm, prompting several flash flood warnings across the county. By afternoon, city of San Diego officials were urging people to remain home unless it was absolutely necessary to travel.
A flash flood warning was in effect for parts of North County, including Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista and Solana Beach. The warning was extended to include Chula Vista, San Diego and El Cajon until 12:45 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
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"This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order," An emergency alert from the NWS said.
During a flood warning, residents are urged to avoid walking or driving through flood waters and move to higher ground where possible.
A flash flood watch remains in effect until 9 p.m., NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said.
Local
Red Cross Storm Shelters
Some of the worst flooding in the county has occurred in southeast San Diego, including in the communities of Encanto, Mountain View and Lincoln Park.
Shortly after 3 p.m., the Red Cross announced it would be opening an overnight shelter at Lincoln High School, at 4777 Imperial Ave, San Diego, where volunteers are helping out the displaced with food and shelter. A temporary shelter was also opened at the Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive, which was open until 9 p.m. on Monday.
Shelters Open:
- Lincoln High School
- Bostonia Recreation Center
- Coronado Community Center
Sandbags
Just before 5 p.m., the city of San Diego released a statement on the storm, including details on where sandbags were available to the public:
- Council District 1: Pacific Beach Recreation Center, 1405 Diamond St.
- Council District 2 (inland): North Clairemont Recreation Center, 4421 Bannock Ave.
- Council District 2 (coastal): Robb Field Athletic Area, 2525 Bacon St.
- Council District 3: Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive.
- Council District 4: Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 6401 Skyline Drive.
- Council District 5: Scripps Ranch Recreation Center, 11454 Blue Cypress Drive.
- Council District 6: Standley Recreation Center, 3585 Governor Drive.
- Council District 7: Allied Gardens Recreation Center, 5155 Greenbrier Ave.
- Council District 8: San Ysidro Community Activity Center, 179 Diza Road.
- Council District 9: City Heights Recreation Center, 4380 Landis St.
Major Roadway Closures
Northbound I-15
Northbound Interstate 15 at Main Street near National City was fully closed at about 1:30 p.m. due to flooding. Drivers were at a standstill amid the flooded road. There was no word on when lanes would reopen.
At 3:35 p.m., the CHP closed all northbound lanes of I-15 at Interstate 8 due to a hazmat incident following an incident involving a big rig. Officials are saying the ensuing hazmat cleanup could take as long as 5 hours, during which time all northbound lanes of the interstate would be closed. In the meantime, all traffic is being diverted to Interstate 8.
On Monday afternoon, officials investigating the crash said the driver of the tractor-trailer lost control in heavy rain and veered to the right, hitting the guardrail and down an embankment. The driver was unhurt. The crash occurred in heavy rain, creating challenging road conditions. During the recovery of the truck, its fuel tank was punctured, spilling fuel across the roadway, complicating the cleanup and created a hazmat closure.
SR-94
Caltrans reported a little before 4 p.m. that all westbound lanes of SR-94 at College Avenue were closed due to flooding.
SR-78 in North County
The SR-78 near El Camino Real was fully closed amid flooding in an area that had just last year been closed for months for flooding damage repairs. The shutdown was in both directions between College Boulevard and El Camino Real until 3:30, when officials announced that the westbound lanes of the freeway were reopening.
As of 7 p.m. the eastbound ramp onto SR-78 remains closed as Caltrans crews work to clear the debris, sediments and potholes caused by the floods. Traffic is being diverted to El Camino Real and back onto College.
Caltrans said workers must wait for the water to recede before they reopen the eastbound lanes.
Caltrans said the flooding was not caused by culvert or drainage issues, which were the problems last year, but by proximity to Buena Vista Lagoon, which floods every time it rains. A massive sink hole appeared along the stretch of the highway in 2023, and it was closed off for nearly two months while it was rebuilt.
Flooded Roads
The California Highway Patrol reported other several incidents of flooding amid heavy downpours Monday morning:
- Interstate 805 south at Imperial Avene: A rock slide has closed the off-ramp
- State Route 78 at El Camino Real: All eastbound lanes are closed
Flooding Sigalerts on San Diego freeways
The alerts were in place as of 6:24 p.m. at the following locations:
- I-15 north and Main Street (all lanes blocked)
- SR-94 west between College Avenue and College Grove Way
Mission Valley
- San Diego Mission Road between Fairmount & Caminito Yucatan
- Ward Road at Camino Del Rio N
- Avenida del Rio between Riverwalk Dr and Camino de la Reina
- Mission Center Road between Hazard Center Drive and Camino De La Reina
- Hazard Center Drive between Avenida Del Rio and DoubleTree Hotel roundabout
- Camino Del Esta between Station Village Lane and Camino De La Reina
- Ward Road at Camino Del Rio North.
- Avenida del Rio between Riverwalk Drive and Camino de la Reina
- Camino De La Reina between Camino De La Siesta and Avenida Del Rio
- San Diego Mission Road between Fairmount Avenue and Caminito Yucatan
Flooding Around San Diego
Balboa Park
The city temporarily relocated people staying at the shelter at 16th & Newton Bridge to the Balboa Park Activity Center. Some residents at the Safe Sleeping site at 20th & B are being moved to Golden Hall in downtown San Diego, officials said.
Chula Vista
The South Bay's biggest city did not escape unscathed. A little more than 2 inches of rain fell in Chula Vista in the past 24 hours, prompting local officials to shut down the city's Rohr Park. "It is not safe at this time for the public to use the park," officials tweeted out on Monday. "City officials will re-evaluate conditions on Tuesday, Jan. 23."
Coronado
The city of Coronado said several streets across the island are flooded amid the rain. Officials made the decision near midday to evacuate students from the ground floor, moving them to upstairs classrooms. At least 16 businesses on Orange Avenue have sustained some sort of flooding damage.
The PAWS of Coronado animal shelter was flooded by Monday's storm. Staff removed animals from the garage and took them to other locations, shelter spokeswoman Jennifer Stein said. They posted on social media, asking people to foster animals to help them get out of the shelter. With their phones down, the shelter is asking people to reach out on social media if they can foster a pet.
Later in the day, around 5 p.m., Coronado police posted a request on social media platform (formerly known as twitter) to residents living near the country club, urging them to not flush toilets or run any water into drains.
"The city’s sewer system has been severely impacted by the heavy rains from today’s storm," CPD stated. "City crews are diligently working on repairs. Residents in the Country Club area (west of Alameda Blvd to Naval Base San Diego, north of 10th St/Alder St and south of 6th St.) are being asked to stop flushing toilets, running sinks, showers, and faucets, or any activity that discharges into the sewer system. This does not impact the drinking water system."
Later in the evening, the City of Coronado requested that residents refrain from using their drains as much as possible during the next 24 hours so that the sewer system could catch up. That includes running sinks, taking showers, using faucets or doing the laundry.
Officials expected the area to be impacted for the next 24 hours. A shelter has been opened at the Coronado Community Center at 1845 Strand Way for residents in the impacted zone
Downtown San Diego
City officials announced in a news release issued late Monday afternoon that the parking garage in San Diego's main downtown branch had been closed due to flooding.
East County
Heartland Fire Dept. spokesman Andy McKellar told NBC 7 around midday that 150 200 homes are flooded across the county. Heartland Fire covers the El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove communities and other areas of East County.
Fashion Valley
The county of San Diego issued a flood warning for the San Diego River in the valley through midnight on Monday.
Fashion Valley Road has been closed in both directions, with several feet of river overflowing and crossing the street.
The city of San Diego said during the afternoon that the following closures were caused by Monday's storm:
- Mission Center Road between Hazard Center Drive and Camino De La Reina
- Hazard Center Drive between Avenida Del Rio and DoubleTree Hotel roundabout
- Camino Del Esta between Station Village Lane and Camino De La Reina
- Ward Road at Camino Del Rio North.
- Avenida del Rio between Riverwalk Drive and Camino de la Reina
- Camino De La Reina between Camino De La Siesta and Avenida Del Rio
- San Diego Mission Road between Fairmount Avenue and Caminito Yucatan
La Mesa
Heavy flooding has inundated the 3300 block of Fairway Drive in La Mesa.
Lemon Grove
A large portion of Federal Boulevard near San Miguel is underwater, with flooding several feet deep. A dozen or so vehicles were visible in a video sent in by a viewer, disabled, including a large truck.
National City
The flooding hit National City especially bad in National City, where, at one point, an elderly man was rescued from his Park Villas apartment.
Naval Base San Diego
"Flooding reported in multiple areas of the base," officials posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Avoid driving through flooded areas. Recommend only essential personnel enter the base and all others avoid the base until further notice. Personnel on base, please stay in place until flooding levels subside."
Ocean Beach
Photos sent in to NBC 7 by photographer Jim Grant show Abbott Street, adjacent to the beach, under several feet of water, with at least one paddleboarder taking advantage of the conditions near the nearby main drag of Newport Avenue.
Oceanside
All lanes of state Route 78 have closed at El Camino Real in Oceanside. This is where flooding destroyed the freeway last year, prompting lengthy construction delays. There are several feet of water on the roadway, in some places passing easily over the center divide. Officials reopened the roadway's westbound lanes around 3:30 p.m.
San Diego State
San Diego State University closed a road on campus Monday today due to falling rocks caused by heavy rain and flooding. The University Police Department blocked public access on Canyon Crest Drive between Parking Lot 15 and Aztec Circle.
Southcrest
Water began flooding a home in the 3600 block Beta Street at about 11 a.m..Residents reported water getting into their homes — San Diego Fire-Rescue received a series of calls regarding the same issue. First-responders ended up taking three people from the neighborhood to local hospitals, including a child, who was brought to Rady Children's hospital.
"The rescues from homes in the neighborhood on Beta Street and surrounding streets number in the hundreds of people," a spokeswoman for SDFD told NBC 7. "Those were accomplished using inflatable boats and rescue boards to retrieve people from their flooded homes. Some people were on their roofs to avoid the water."
Spring Valley
Water was seeping into the first floor of a Spring Valley apartment complex. An NBC 7 crew was headed to the Helix Apartments complex on Conrad Street to gather more details.
School Closures
The San Diego County Office of Education announced late Monday afternoon that classes were canceled Tuesday at the following schools due to storm-associated causes:
- La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools: "Due to the continued rain & the extent of the flooding we will need to close our schools on Tues, Jan. 23. We plan to resume classes on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
- KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy
- Monarch School
- America's Finest Charter School high-school campus
- Harriet Tubman Village Charter School
- SOUL Academy
Crashes
Amid the downpours, more than a dozen crashes were reported on roadways, according to NBC 7's traffic anchor.
A vehicle rolled over on wet roadways on Interstate 5 near Gennessee Avenue in La Jolla at about 9 a.m. San Diego Fire-Rescue crews responded to aid one person trapped inside. The individual was freed from the vehicle and transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital with injuries.
Water Rescues
5 trapped in San Ysidro floodwaters
Several people were also stuck in floodwaters in San Ysdiro Monday morning. The individuals were on an embankment under a bridge but were unable to get out on their own, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue. By 10 a.m., at least eight people had been rescued and taken in by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
Water rescue in San Diego's Nestor
At least two people were trapped in floodwater near a self-storage business on Palm Avenue in the Nestor neighborhood of San Diego, SDFD crews said. Rescuers were called at about 9:30 a.m. and the patient was located more than a half-hour later and freed. There was no word on injuries.
