Thread: Rare Southern California summer storm breaks regional rainfall records

Rare Southern California summer storm breaks regional rainfall records

Published July 19, 2015 Associated Press



This is the Weather Underground national forecast for Monday, July 20, 2015. A disturbance will bring storms to portions of the Great Plains and Midwest. A cold front will bring a risk of showers and storms to parts of the Eastern Seaboard. The remnants of Dolores will bring some much needed rain to southern and central California. (Weather Underground via AP) (The Associated Press)


LOS ANGELES – A second day of showers and thunderstorms in southern and central California is expected to again set new regional records for monthly rainfall.

Sunday's warm rain is a remnant of tropical storm Dolores off Baja California, which has carried warm, muggy conditions northward.

National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard says Saturday's rainfall broke at least 11 regional records for daily rainfall in July, including five records for any day in July.

July is typically the driest month of the year in Southern California.

Saturday's 0.36 inches of rainfall downtown broke the July 14, 1886, record of 0.24 inches — a nearly 130-year record. Sirard said.

He called the record especially significant because downtown Los Angeles has the longest recording climate station, dating back to July 1, 1877.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/19...nfall-records/

Rain causes flooding, cancels Padres game

Moisture from Tropical Storm Dolores hits county for 2nd day

By Gary Robbins, Lyndsay Winkley and Sandy Coronilla | 3:13 p.m. July 19, 2015 | Updated, 5:27 p.m.

Shoppers scurry out of the rain on Sunday in Del Mar Heights. — Gary Robbins



Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Delores caused widespread problems for a second day on Sunday, washing out a Padres home game, delaying the launch of a full-sized replica of a galleon, producing flash flooding that trapped people in a La Jolla canyon and knocking out power.

The storm dropped nearly 3 inches of rain in Ramona in a short period of time, causing some cars to be partially submerged in the area.

"The cell kind of parked over Ramona; it's unusual for that much rain to fall," said Tina Stall, a National Weather Service forecaster.

Scattered showers are possible early Monday, and forecasters say the weather will be far cooler than it was on Sunday, when the high at San Diego's Lindbergh Field was 88, 13 degrees above normal.

The downpour was generated by Dolores, a fading tropical storm whose core had moved to within 360 miles of San Diego on Sunday. Moisture from the system began flowing into the county early Saturday, generating booming thunderstorms that dropped 1.03 inches of rain in San Diego, which is more than the city has received in the month of July since 1902. Since 1850, only three summer months, which include July, August and September, have seen more rainfall: August 1873 with 1.95 inches, September 1939 with 2.58 inches; and August 1977 with 2.13 inches.

The thunderstorms also sparked more than 500 lightning strikes, including one that started a small brush fire in Del Mar's Crest Canyon.

The system appeared to fade on Sunday. The day started out sunny and mostly clear. Swimmers and surfers descended on local beaches, where the water temperature was 71 degrees in some areas. It offered relief from the humidity, which reached almost 90 percent in San Diego.

But by early afternoon, cells of moisture began moving ashore, producing rain from the coast to the mountains. Kearny Mesa received more than .80 inches of precipitation, while 0.75 inches fell in La Mesa. The rain caused a 2-hour 36-minute delay in the Padres game at Petco Park with the Colorado Rockies before being canceled and rescheduled for Sept. 10.

"This rain won't bring an end to the drought," said Roger Pierce, a weather service forecaster. "You'll be able to turn your lawn sprinklers off for a few days. But by the end of next week it'll be hard to tell that rain fell."

Summer storm prompts cliff, canyon rescues

The sudden downpour left hiking trails in the Black's Beach area slippery and muddy, prompting lifeguards to perform two rescues.

In the first, a group of eight people got stuck in a canyon when a rush of water made climbing out difficult, a lifeguard dispatcher said. Shortly after, another group of hikers required help from to navigate the beach's slippery trails.

Over-The-Line Tournament postponed

Over-The-Line Tournament organizers cited the weather for suspending all games Saturday afternoon and Sunday, officially making the tropical storm a party pooper.

The announcement was posted to the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club's Facebook page on Saturday afternoon. Organizers directed fans of Fiesta Island's annual, alcohol-fueled sporting event to watch social media for information about when and where the 62nd year's tournament will be completed. According to the club's Twitter account, that might be in a couple of weeks.

The Over-The-Line Tournament is a two weekend party/sporting event where some teams play a softball-like game and a lot of other people watch and drink. This was the second weekend of the event.

Competing teams will be contacted by Over-The-Line staff members about new dates and times, once they are determined, according to the Mission Beach club's Facebook page.

A number of commenters were disappointed by the cancellation, but cheered organizers for considering the safety of spectators first, since officials were recommending that people stay away from the beaches and out of the water on Saturday.

San Salvador launch postponed

The Maritime Museum of San Diego’s much-ballyhooed launch of its replica San Salvador flagship also ended up being postponed because of the weather.

The full-sized replica of the galleon sailed by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was to be transferred onto a floating barge Sunday night to be moved to a South Bay boatyard. Plans called for it to be lowered into the bay and officially launched a couple days later.

However an intense system of foul weather caused by Tropical Storm Dolores slowed down the crew’s progress. Record rainfall and thunderstorms on Saturday prevented the 100-ton vessel from being turned 90 degrees to face the shallow waters near Spanish Landing.

Museum vice president and San Salvador project manager Mark Montijo said Sunday morning that the galleon, which was originally envisioned opening as a paid tourist attraction in 2012, will launch when conditions allow.

“We remain prepared to launch the San Salvador when the tides present an opportunity in the coming days,” wrote museum CEO Ray Ashley. “We are keenly aware that delays in the launch of the San Salvador are unfortunate, but only increase our anticipation for the day she finally meets the Pacific Ocean.”

In 2007, it was announced the San Salvador would be built to expand the museum’s collection of historic ships that includes the Star of India and HMS Surprise. In April, the total cost for the project soared to $6.5 million, up $1.5 million from original estimates.

Last April’s plan had called for moving the 92-foot long, 24-feet wide vessel by truck to a launch site near Harbor Drive but the weight was underestimated by 20 tons and it was too heavy to be lifted by crane.

This time, El Cajon-based Whillock Contracting Inc. is handling the turn and lift of the galleon, which is made up of dense, heavy woods from three continents and 18 tons of lead in the keel. Whillock specializes in structural moving and, in 2003, moved the historic 2.5 million pound Showley Candy Factory one block east to accomodate Petco Park’s current Park at the Park.

http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/07/18/s...for-san-diego/

Been loving this! Never seen/heard so much lightning and thunder in southern California as yesterday.

Originally Posted by Jean

Been loving this! Never seen/heard so much lightning and thunder in southern California as yesterday.

My relatives in north FLA. recently had their landline and internet out for 10 days because the lighting there took out so many phone lines it took that long to get them all replaced.
Every time they have a storm they go around the house and unplug things so they don't get fried if the lightning hits the electric lines.
I hope we don't start getting lightning all of the time like FLA.

Flooding causes bridge collapse in desert; I-10 closed 'indefinitely'

July 20, 2015
Updated 10:49 a.m.

VIEW SLIDESHOW

Rescue crews work to pull a pickup truck out of a rain-swollen wash that the truck fell into when the Interstate 10 bridge over the wash west of Desert Center collapsed on Sunday, July 19. The occupants were uninjured.COURTESY OF QUARTZSITE FIRE AND RESCUE

BY JANET ZIMMERMAN / STAFF WRITER


Update at 6:30 a.m. Monday, July 20

Interstate 10 remained closed early Monday due to flooding that washed away a bridge between Coachella and the Arizona border. Southbound Highway 177 was reopened about 3:30 a.m.
Original story

Interstate 10 between Coachella and the Arizona border was closed indefinitely Sunday, July 19, when rain washed out a large section of a bridge, the result of a wild storm that blew through Southern California and left devastation in its wake.

The storm system dropped as much as 4 inches of rain in spots, downed trees and power lines, and triggered mud flows and flash floods that trapped vehicles. Swift-water rescues, traffic collisions and flooded homes taxed firefighters throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties well into the evening.

In the I-10 flooding in the desert, the Adair bridge over Tex Wash was swept away, Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said. The occupants of a vehicle that apparently drove into the damaged section of freeway were stuck in their pickup truck for about four hours before they were rescued by firefighters, unharmed, she said.

“The 10 (freeway) is a dire situation,” Kasinga said.

Caltrans is diverting eastbound traffic onto Highway 86 in Coachella; that highway goes southeast of the Salton Sea to Interstate 8.

Drivers coming into California should take Arizona Route 95 north to Interstate 40. Otherwise they will hit a closure at Rice Road and be stuck, Kasinga said.

Highway 78, which intersects with the 86 in Brawley and leads back to I-10, and Highway 177, which connects I-10 to Highway 62 on the eastern edge of Joshua Tree National Park, were closed due to flooding Sunday and could not be used as detours.

Structural engineers will be sent to the scene of the collapse early Monday to assess the damage there and at other surrounding washes, according to a Caltrans news release. Once it's determined what repairs will be needed, the agency will release an estimate for when I-10 can reopen.

The storm -- caused by the remnants of former Hurrican Dolores -- was expected to diminish by midnight. Monday will bring a chance of showers, with high humidity and temperatures in the upper 80s in the valleys, said James Brotherton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

After Monday, the rest of the week is expected to be cloudy but dry, with slightly below-average temperatures.

“It’s pretty unusual to see this much rain in July,” Brotherton said.

The deluge broke two daily precipitation records: 0.88 inches at Riverside Municipal Airport smashed a 1946 record of 0.05 inches, and the 0.53 inches that fell in Lake Elsinore broke a 1927 record of 0.06 inches, according to the weather service.

It also gave a much-needed drink to Southern California’s drought-parched landscapes and helped dampen flames on the 4,250-acre North Fire that started in the Cajon Pass and was 75 percent contained as of Sunday night.

ROADS FLOODED

The California Highway Patrol received reports of flooding Sunday on sections of every Inland freeway. Among the worst spots were the 60 at Day Street in Moreno Valley, where a SigAlert was issued, and the eastbound 91 at Adams Street in Riverside, where flooding forced traffic into one lane.

Caltrans also dealt with rock slides on Highway 18 east of Big Bear Lake, Highway 330 west of Running Springs and Highway 38 at Valley of the Falls Drive near Forest Falls. The mountain highways remained open, said Kasinga of Caltrans.

From highways to city streets to rural roads, reports came in of flooding, mud, debris and downed power lines that trapped vehicles.

In Moreno Valley, a flash flood submerged streets, and the cars parked on them, in waist-deep water in the Sunnymead Ranch neighborhood.

Power went out at more than 5,400 homes in Nuevo, Perris, Yucaipa, Redlands and San Bernardino after lightning and downed power lines, according to Southern California Edison. Electricity should be restored by Monday afternoon, according to the utility’s website.

RESCUES

In Corona, 11 people were rescued from fast-moving water in a drainage channel.

Three people, believed to be transients, were first spotted clinging to a mattress in the storm drain near the 91 freeway and Magnolia Avenue, firefighter John DeYoe said. They were rescued by firefighters several miles away, at Auburndale and Rincon streets, he said.

The eight others, also believe to be transients, were pulled out by bystanders or got themselves out.

“It was moving fast but it wasn’t that deep,” DeYoe said.

Redlands firefighters rescued four people who were trapped in a car stuck in the mud on San Timoteo Canyon Road at West Fern Avenue, Battalion Chief Dave Graves said. No one was injured.

At least three other vehicles were mired in mud on San Timoteo Canyon Road, spotted in a flyover by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department helicopter, he said. The drivers were able to free themselves.

San Timoteo Canyon Road was closed in both directions between Fern Avenue and Alessandro Road, he said.

“There were basketball-sized rocks and mud across the road,” he said. “We’ve had multiple reports of flooding by residents. We also had trees down and some power lines.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/t...th-inland.html