Several one-day rainfall records were broken for a New Year's Day in San Diego. The total rainfall on January 1st recorded at San Diego International Airport was 2.07 inches, breaking a record for the day going way back to 1855 of 1.60 inches.
Rainfall records for a New Year's Day also were set in Chula Vista (1.38 inches), El Cajon (2.52 inches) Lake Cuyamaca (Lake 2.69 and Campo (1.72).
There were unexpectedly high rainfall amounts in many areas — in addition to downtown San Diego, that included Mission Valley, Alpine, Poway and Escondido — with the more than 2 inches in just 12 hours, at a rate National Weather Service meteorologist Philip Gonsalves called “pretty remarkable.”
The rain caused some serious flooding problems on New Year's Day, including multiple rescues.
San Diego County Fire-Rescue personnel rescued a woman who was swept into a creek by heavy rain waters that flowed into Lake Hodges in Escondido. Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office San Marcos station were dispatched at about 8:10 a.m. Thursday after a man reported that he and his wife had entered the lake's ground at a low-water crossing near the roadway.
About an hour later, the couple returned to the same crossing and found the rains had flooded the area.
ater on the crossing was now flowing swiftly to the lake. The couple entered the flowing water on foot to get back to their vehicle. Despite walking cautiously, the current swept them both off their feet. They were carried by the water into a creek that flowed into Lake Hodges," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
After struggling with the current, the male victim reached shore, but his wife continued downstream. The man was able to walk to a nearby residence, where he contacted the sheriff's office for help.
Deputies, personnel from Cal Fire San Diego and local fire agencies launched a rescue operation and located the female victim. She was taken to a hospital. The couple have been reunited and were both in stable condition, officials said.
The sheriff's office advised the public to never walk, swim or drive through flooded areas, and to use caution when entering an area prone to flooding. "Just six inches of fast-moving water is enough to put your life at risk. Remember, turn around, don't drown," sheriff's officials added.
A few hours later, a man was rescued by lifeguards after he became trapped under a bridge in Mission Valley by rising San Diego River water.
Fire crews and a lifeguard swift water rescue team responded at 11:16 a.m. Thursday to reports of a man stuck in waist-high water on the north side of the riverbed under state Route 163, according to spokeswoman Candace Hadley of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
He was extricated and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Hadley said.
Also Thursday morning, a San Diego lifeguard swift-water rescue team rescued an adult and a child trapped in a vehicle by rapidly rising flood waters at the Fashion Valley mall.
Hadley described the flooding as "a river," and said low-lying Fashion Valley, at 7007 Friars Road, had "very significant flooding," especially in the Avenida Del Rio area
One adult and one child became trapped in their vehicle due to flooding in Mission Valley and were rescued by lifeguards," she said. Their ages were not provided.
(Photos reporting partner 10News)
