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Second wave of powerful Pacific storm spread rain and snow across the county

Rains have delayed ongoing repairs to the sinkhole on westbound state Route 78, just west of College Boulevard.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The system dropped lots more rain from the mountains to the sea and carpeted some peaks with snow.

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There were a lot of “cry uncle” moments Tuesday when the latest in a seemingly endless series of very wet and windy Pacific storms hit San Diego County, which prizes its status as a sunny Shangri-la.

A week after a big sinkhole began slowing traffic on state Route 78 in Oceanside, the ground gave way on a street in Vista, damaging a sidewalk and dirt shoulder.

More than 6,300 San Diego Gas & Electric customers from Encinitas to Otay Mesa to El Cajon lost power as stiff winds stressed the utility’s electrical network.

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The winds this time seemed to have a mean streak, toppling a eucalyptus tree that fell on the tracks of the beloved miniature train in Balboa Park.

A massive pine tree fell onto a La Jolla Shores Drive property on Tuesday following a rain storm.
A massive pine tree fell onto a La Jolla Shores Drive property on Tuesday following a rain storm.
(Ashley Mackin-Solomon/La Jolla Light)

The gusts, which exceeded 50 mph in some spots along the coast, also helped deposit a couple of boats onto the rocks in San Diego Bay. They were towed to safety. Offshore, the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt stayed at sea rather than trying deal with the rain, wind and fog at its berth at Naval Air Station North Island.

All of this happened by 1 p.m.

The sun briefly appeared, leading sunbathers to lay out towels in places such as Oceanside Harbor. But the second wave of the storm moved in by evening with more rain, more winds and lots of snow.

Ty Walker, left, and his wife Kirsten from Arizona enjoy the beach to themselves at Oceanside Harbor Beach
Tuesday afternoon’s break from the rain was reason for Ty Walker, left, and his wife Kirsten from Arizona to enjoy the beach to themselves at Oceanside Harbor Beach.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The overall impact of the system won’t be known until midday Wednesday, when the storm clears to the east.

San Diego International Airport reported 1 inch of rain through 6 p.m., lifting its seasonal average to about 13 inches. The airport averages 9.79 inches during the season, which lasts from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Encinitas fared even better, logging 1.45 inches.

Palomar Mountain got 3.61 inches of rain, pushing its seasonal average to about 53.5 inches. That’s more than 20 inches above normal.

The precipitation was heavy enough to push the San Diego River in Mission Valley close to flood stage, leading to minor street flooding near Fashion Valley mall.

Flooding also closed all lanes of the eastbound El Camino Real on-ramp to state Route 78. The closure is near the spot where a major sinkhole developed during a storm last week.

The wind was just as impressive as the rain.

The system has produced gusts up to 83 mph on Palomar Mountain, 57 mph at Mount Laguna, 53 mph at Campo, 51 mph at Encinitas, 48 mph at Naval Air Station North Island and at Imperial Beach, 46 mph at Solana Beach, and 45 mph at Camp Pendleton. The weather service accidentally reported on Tuesday evening that the wind had reached 262 mph at North Island.

San Diego International Airport reported numerous delays in the morning and had to deal with resurgent winds after sunset.

Sheriff’s officials reported that a large tree fell down in the storm and blocked access to Halcyon Road from North Vulcan Avenue in Leucadia, while the National Weather Service reported a large tree down at Weidners Garden on Normandy Road in Encinitas. No injuries were reported.

A few people venture out on the jetty at Oceanside Harbor Beach on Tuesday.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Shortly before 10 a.m., a large tree toppled onto two unoccupied, parked cars on Sea Colony Court in Point Loma.

As expected, there were widespread traffic delays.

Drivers in 4S Ranch found some delays after a large tree fell around 5 a.m., blocking two lanes of westbound Camino del Norte east of Rancho Bernardo Road.

Crews were dispatched to clear the debris out of lanes, San Diego police said. Shortly before 8 a.m., Coronado police reported that drivers were finding some flooding along the Silver Strand Boulevard/state Route 75.

A number of spinouts and crashes were reported on local freeways as rain fell during the morning commute, according to the California Highway Patrol’s website.

The storm also is forecast to drop 8 to 12 inches of snow in the local mountains. The snowfall level could drop to 4,000 feet by early Wednesday.

Share the weather conditions from your neighborhood by sending an email to gary.robbins@sduniontribune.

Additional resources
National Weather Service
SDG&E Outage map
UCSD Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes
San Diego County weather and fire cameras
San Diego County traffic cameras
San Diego Bay live stream cameras
Oceanside Pier live camera
CHP Traffic Incident Information
NOAA West Coast satellite images
NWS rainfall database

Updates

7:30 p.m. March 21, 2023: New rain and wind data added.

5:31 p.m. March 21, 2023: Added new rainfall data

12:53 p.m. March 21, 2023: Updated with new data.

11:13 a.m. March 21, 2023: Updated with lightning forecast.

10:34 a.m. March 21, 2023: Thunderstorm warning added.

9:16 a.m. March 21, 2023: Updated with rainfall estimates.

8:51 a.m. March 21, 2023: New forecast data.

8:30 a.m. March 21, 2023: Updated with traffic information.

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