As much rain fell in just six hours Monday as does normally in three months.
Sound like a lot? So, how much precipitation did San Diego get that day? An astonishing 2.73 inches, when we normally get about 2 inches on average for the entire month of January. It was the city's rainiest day ever in January, according to records dating to 1850. Of course, Monday was merely the final insult in three days of rain, beginning on Saturday.
A rough calculation shows that more than 150 billion gallons of water fell on San Diego County over three days, much of it in a three-to-six-hour period, Ryan Maue, former chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in an email to The Associated Press. He said the city’s drainage canals and infrastructure are not able to handle such a deluge.
San Diego's Historic Storm
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“The rainfall rates and duration ... overwhelmed the capability of the urban and natural interface to reroute the water back to the ocean especially with so much also falling inland at high elevations,” Maue said.
It was the fourth-wettest day on record in the entire history of San Diego weather measurements, according to the National Weather Service.
San Diego has gotten more rain over the past three days, than during the past three months combined. In fact, the three-day total is nearly double the past three months.
Before the storm, rainfall forecasts had predicted 1 inch on the coast and double that in the mountains.
The unprecedented flooding and damage prompted states of emergencies across the county.
So, how much fell at your house?
Four-day rainfall totals as of Tuesday morning
All data is according to the NWS of San Diego, which you can access here.
San Diego
- KEARNY MESA 3.34 inches
- POINT LOMA 4.50 inches
- MONTGOMERY FIELD 3.01 inches
- SAN DIEGO INTL AIRPORT 3.32 inches
- MIRAMAR LAKE 2.85 inches
South Bay
- NATIONAL CITY 4.25 inches
- BROWN FIELD 2.64 inches
- CHULA VISTA 2.02 inches
- OTAY MOUNTAIN RAWS 5.38 inches
- SAN MIGUEL RAWS 2.53 inches
North County
- CARLSBAD 3.15 inches
- ENCINITAS 3.10 inches
- OCEANSIDE 2.76 inches
- VISTA 2.61 inches
- ESCONDIDO 2.72 inches
- POWAY 2.47 inches
- EL CAMINO DEL NORTE 2.74 inches
East County
- SANTEE 3.50 inches
- FALLBROOK 3.44 inches
- RAMONA 2.17 inches
- BONSAL 3.12 inches
- DULZURA SUMMIT 4.11 inches
- DEER SPRINGS 2.68 inches
- LA MESA 4.76 inches
- BARONA 2.29 inches
- RAMONA 2.17 inches
San Diego County mountains
- ALPINE 3.01 inches
- SD COUNTRY ESTATES 2.15 inches
- THOUSAND TRAILS 2.42 inches
- JULIAN 2.80 inches
- MT LAGUNA 2.79 inches
The Associated Press contributed to this report — Ed.
