What to Know
- The entire county is under a flood watch from 6 a.m. Thursday until 10 a.m. Friday
- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Wednesday said a voluntary evacuation warning would be issued for neighborhoods in low-lying areas
- Through early Saturday, anywhere from 1 to 2.5 inches of rain is possible, according to the National Weather Service
Less than two weeks after a historically severe winter storm led to disastrous local flooding and government state-of-emergency declarations, another significant series of rainy, blustery days is bearing down on the San Diego area Thursday.
The winter storm fueled by an atmospheric river reached San Diego County overnight Thursday and brought heavy showers by late-morning that had the potential cause severe damage, prompting flood alerts and an evacuation warning for some areas of San Diego. By Thursday afternoon, most of the rain will have moved east.
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A flood watch was issued for the entire county for Thursday. A more elevated flood advisory was issued at 10:45 a.m. Thursday for the North County San Diego areas of Oceanside, Carlsbad, Temecula, Vista, San Clemente, Encinitas, Poway, Ramona, Del Mar and Fallbrook. Those areas were experiecing thunderstorms and heavy rain, which could result in flooding. A half-inch to 1.25 inches of rain had already fallen and up to another inch of rain was anticipated, the National Weather Service said.
The areas of Vista, Escondido and Carlsbad were warned of flash flooding until 1:45 p.m.
The National Weather Service also issued a flood warning for the San Diego River at Fashion Valley through Friday morning. The river was expected to crest at 10.3 feet at 6 p.m., according to the NWS.
More San Diego storm coverage
Across the county, rain totals from Thursday could be between 1 to 2.5 inches or more along the coast and in inland valleys, with localized flooding expected in areas experiencing heavy rain. Up to 3 inches of rain may drop on coastal mountain slopes. Rainfall rates of a half-inch to nearly an inch per hour will be possible.
There is also a chance of thunderstorms Thursday, with very gusty onshore winds, prompting officials at the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory for the coast and inland valleys. Gusts may reach 40-50 mph along the coast, peaking near 45 mph inland. While San Diego's mountains are not under the wind advisory, gusts there could be up to 40 mph.
Impacts will be felt visible the river reaches 7.5 feet and by 9 feet, some parking garages in the Fashion Valley area may flood. By 11 feet, the parking garages will have about 3 feet of water at the lowest levels and the trolley may be impacted, the NWS said.
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Additionally, in coastal communities, the federal agency slated a high-surf advisory from 2 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Saturday. Wave heights of 8-10 feet are expected through Saturday morning. Because tides are not abnormally high, coastal flooding is not expected.
The mountains may see some snow at the highest elevations, NBC 7 Meteorologist Parveen said. Mount Laguna and Palomar have the best chances for snowfall overnight on Friday and could see 1-3 inches of snow.
Although the weekend begins drier, another storm system arrives Sunday, which could last deep into next week, with several days of rain possible.
"As we head into the weekend, though, it does look drier, then our next storm arrives Sunday into next week where we could have several days of rain chances; look at that, very wet weather pattern there," Parveen said pointing to San Diego's only 10-day forecast.
The storm systems will hit about a week-and-a-half after an unprecedented 1000-year flood submerged parts of San Diego County in inches of water, not because of unusually heavy rainfall -- most areas saw anywhere from an inch to four inches of rain -- but likely due to ill-prepared storm systems.
Last week, the city and county of San Diego, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, declared states of emergency due to the disastrously heavy precipitation, which destroyed hundreds of homes. Much of the most acute destruction occurred in southeastern San Diego, notably the communities of Encanto, Logan Heights, Mountain View and Southcrest.
The wettest day during the storm, Jan. 22, was the fourth-wettest in San Diego since 1850, according to the weather service.
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