SAN DIEGO — San Diego residents and city officials on Tuesday cleaned up the aftermath of an "unprecedented" winter storm that caused severe flooding and prompted states of emergency from the city, county and state of California.
Several hours of rain Monday closed freeways and damaged houses and cars. The storm hit neighborhoods in southeast San Diego especially hard, impacting hundreds of families whose houses, cars and belongings were damaged or destroyed from the high water and flooding caused by the storm.
What is the wettest day ever in San Diego?
While rainfall hit record levels across the county on Monday, January 22, 2024, it was not the wettest day ever recorded for the city.
The wettest day on record for San Diego was recorded more than 169 years ago on December 2, 1854, with 3.34" measured in 24 hours. Monday was the fourth wettest day on record with 2.73" for the City of San Diego according the the National Weather Service.
What is the wettest January day ever in San Diego?
The wettest day ever recorded in the month of January was on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 with 2.73" of rain. The previous record for a day in January was 45 years ago when 2.57" fell on Jan. 31, 1979.
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Gloria associated the storm with climate change and told San Diegans to expect more weather systems like this to come. He said the last storm of this severity hit San Diego in the 1930s.
Mayor Gloria declared a state of emergency for the city due to the storm's impact.
“I have declared a State of Emergency in the City of San Diego due to the extreme rainfall and flash flooding that’s occurred across our city," Gloria said. "We have activated the City’s Emergency Operations Center, and our emergency responders will continue to address the impacts around the clock. The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Lincoln High School for residents who have been displaced by the flooding. I strongly urge residents to please avoid any flooded areas and any unnecessary travel.”
The County of San Diego declared a local emergency on behalf of the Board of Supervisors as the board prepares for resources and assistance from the state and federal government needed to help communities recover from damages caused by flooding and the storm's impact.