A forceful, lingering winter atmospheric river storm that brought a week of heavy rainfall and mountain snow to the San Diego area delivered scattered showers Friday while finally leaving the heavily saturated region.
Though the storm resulted in no reports of heavy damage locally, widespread flooding destruction from a much worse series of downpours two weeks ago prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday to seek an official disaster declaration from President Joe Biden to help the San Diego region recover.
“The late-January storm saw record-breaking rain in San Diego, where the worst impacts were felt in lower-income neighborhoods,” Newsom noted. “Many folks saw damage to their life’s work that can’t be recovered without federal support.”
If approved, the action will help hard-hit locals via eligibility for such support as housing assistance, vehicle replacement, food aid, counseling, medical services and legal services, according to the governor’s office.
As of Wednesday, the city and San Diego Housing Commission had referred more than 600 residents, with 159 pets, for temporary placement in hotel rooms, including at a recently acquired property in the Midway area. In total, assistance was being provided for nearly 200 households.
The city’s Local Assistance Center will remain open at the Mountain View Community Recreation Center at 641 S. Boundary St. through the weekend, with hours of operation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
City of San Diego residents affected by the storm can arrange for rides to the facility at no cost by calling the United Taxi Workers of San Diego at (619) 280-4444.
The persistently wet and blustery atmospheric system had delivered anywhere from around one-fifth of an inch to more than eight inches of rain and up to a foot and a half of snow across the county.
Among the local rainfall totals from this week’s storm as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to the NWS, were 8.27 inches in San Onofre; 6.96 at Camp Pendleton; 6.15 in Mesa Grande; 5.54 in Fallbrook; 5.27 in Santa Ysabel; 5.15 at Lake Wohlford; 5.12 at Henshaw Dam; 4.82 in Bonsall; 4.78 in Skyline Ranch; 4.73 in Deer Springs; 4.48 on Mount Woodson; 4.45 in Goose Valley; 4.41 in Oceanside; 4.39 at Rainbow Camp; 4.37 in Alpine; 4.18 in Valley Center; and 4.11 in Carlsbad and Echo Dell.
The latest tallies also included 3.96 inches in Couser Canyon; 3.93 in Escondido; 3.91 in Ramona; 3.76 in San Diego Country Estates; 3.75 at Miramar Lake; 3.72 on Otay Mountain; 3.61 in Barona; 3.57 in National City and Vista; 3.55 in Granite Hills; 3.53 in Santee; 3.51 in Poway; 3.5 in Harbison Canyon; 3.43 in Encinitas; 3.39 at Cactus County Park; 3.3 in Flinn Springs; 3.29 in San Marcos; 3.26 in La Mesa; 3.18 in Rancho Bernardo; 3.15 in Campo; and 3.11 in Kearny Mesa.
Other seven-day rainfall amounts were 2.99 inches at Dulzura Summit and in Oak Grove; 2.9 in San Miguel; 2.88 at Brown Field; 2.87 in Thousand Trails; 2.85 at San Diego International Airport; 2.82 in Rincon Springs; 2.8 at Montgomery Field; 2.68 in Warner Springs; 2.57 in Mission Valley; 2.52 at Naval Air Station North Island; 2.49 in Point Loma; 1.83 in Chula Vista; 0.61 in Ocotillo Wells; 0.44 in Borrego Springs; and 0.17 in Agua Caliente.
Local snowfall measurements included 18 inches at Mount Laguna Lodge; 16 inches on Palomar Mountain; 4 inches in Julian; 3 inches in Descanso; and 2 inches in Wynola.
This week’s storm arrived in the aftermath of historically heavy downpours that left roadways, commercial districts and residential neighborhoods underwater across the region two weeks ago. The wettest day, Jan. 22, delivered the highest 24-hour rainfall amounts in San Diego since 1850, according to the NWS.
The inundation, which washed away parked cars and heavily damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, prompted the city and county of San Diego, along with California’s governor, to declare states of emergency.
Since then, authorities have been taking steps, including monitoring tens of thousands of storm drains, to prevent more storm-driven destruction, according to Gloria, who urged those who live or work in flood-prone areas to remain proactively vigilant as well.
A period of dry weather and slowly warming temperatures is expected to kick in over the weekend and continue into the middle of next week, forecasters said. More wet weather could arrive around the weekend of Feb. 17- 18 or early the following week, the National Weather Service advised.
City News Service contributed to this report.