The National Weather Service declared Monday “the wettest January day on record in San Diego.”
San Diego was hit by a Pacific front on Monday, surprising the city despite the chance of rain, as the third of three Pacific storms to hit the West Coast since Friday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) declared Monday “the wettest January day on record for San Diego” after the third storm, which was forecast to be stronger, hit California's largest city.
Tijuana and northern Baja California suffered severe flooding, resulting in the rescue of at least eight migrants by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and rescuers from the San Diego Fire Department. NBC News reported.
Naval Base San Diego experienced flooding late in the morning due to a thick precipitation cell, causing several streets and Interstate 15, which leads to Las Vegas, to be effectively closed.
Mayor Todd Gloria declared a state of emergency “due to extreme rainfall and flash flooding,” and urged residents and visitors to stay off the roads. Schools in La Mesa and Spring Valley will close Tuesday.
Monday's storm spun counterclockwise along the coast and slammed into northern Baja California, dealing San Diego a brief but still hard hit, NWS meteorologist Brandt Maxwell said.
Maxwell noted that Monday's storm was fueled by the long-tailed jet stream, a strong atmospheric river, unstable air and a mix of warmer and colder climates, with the only missing element being a strong wind.
Maxwell said rainfall in San Diego has been below normal this season, but a single storm brought it slightly above normal for the year. The city is halfway through the rainy season, with an average annual rainfall of nearly 10 inches.
Much precipitation is rare after the end of March. This storm will most likely be the last of its kind in January.
“At least in the short term, it doesn't look like there's much on the horizon for Southern California,” Maxwell said.
