A powerful storm system swept across San Diego County overnight, leaving in its wake downed trees, flooded roadways, power outages and more damage Monday morning.
The rainfall, which already dumped more than 3 inches of rain in parts of inland and coastal San Diego County over the last two days, was expected to continue during Monday's morning commute -- albeit much lighter than overnight's downpours -- leaving the possibility for dangerous roadways.
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SkyRanger 7 Flies Over San Diego River Flooding
The San Diego County Department of Public Works said several roads were flooded including a portion of Quarry Road in Spring Valley, Sandia Creek Drive in the Fallbrook area and several streets in Ramona. Stay up to date with the latest closures here.
An already-engorged San Diego River was expected to flood further Monday afternoon in the Fashion Valley area. A flood warning was in effect until midnight. The National Weather Service said several roads were already closed and advised drivers to turn around if they see elevated water levels on the roadways.
Some did not heed the warning. At least two water rescues already needed to be conducted in the area just before 6 a.m. Monday as vehicles became trapped in rising water.
By 10 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguards responded to a group of seven people who were stuck on an island and some in the water near the Interstate 5 and I-8 interchange. Lifeguards rescued five people but a search was initiated for two more who were eventually located nearby. Using a rescue boat, lifeguards brought the final two people out of the water at SeaWorld Drive, according to fire officials.
In San Ysidro, a roadway next to the Tijuana River was so flooded, a woman's SUV became trapped in about 4 feet of water. Her vehicle stalled and swift water rescue crews were called to rescue her using a life raft.
La Mesa city crews shut down eastbound Fletcher Parkway from Amaya Drive due to a tree in the roadway around 8 p.m. Monday.
And in Otay Mesa, Cal Fire crews had to rescue a person who was sitting on top of their vehicle on Otay Lakes Road.
Trees and tree limbs were also being knocked down by the downpours combined with gusty winds. San Diego police responded just after 5 a.m. to a "wide-diameter pine tree" that fell on a two-story apartment complex in Serra Mesa.
The damage was contained to the outside of the complex but it forced the evacuation of about eight people. They would be unable to return to their units until the city could determine the building is structurally sound, a city official said.
No one was injured and the displaced residents were being housed at another location owned by the property management company, the official said.
"We do have to review some plans but we try to do it as quickly as possible to try to get residents especially when they're living in the back in their homes as soon as possible but we gotta make sure that it's safe for use," they said.
In Southcrest, a Palm Tree fell on a home causing its ceiling to collapse, which prevented about nine people from getting out on their own. Firefighters responded and no one was injured, SDPD said.
And in Golden Hill, another large eucalyptus tree had fallen from the San Diego Municipal Golf Course onto the street, causing lanes to be blocked.
At least two massive eucalyptus trees collapsed in Pacific Beach. While one downed tree narrowly missed several vehicles, another took out a power line, leaving thousands of residents without electricity in the early morning hours Monday.
Nearly 8,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were without power Monday morning, although it was not clear how many of those outages were weather-related. At least one affecting a few hundred customers was due to a downed tree while SDG&E was still assessing others to determine the cause. Some people had been without power since Sunday evening with restoration times of Monday night. Check the outage map here.
Even when the region dries up, downed trees were still possible due to over-saturated ground, which can loosen roots, and gusty winds. A wind advisory was in effect until 7 a.m. with southerly winds in the 15 to 30 mph range. Some gusts could reach 40 mph, the NWS said.
The heaviest part of the storm was behind us but off-and-on showers were likely to continue throughout the day Monday into Tuesday, NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen. Once this storm passes, San Diego County will likely get a break from the rain for the rest of the week, although there is a possibility for light showers from a small system to our north on Thursday.
