UPDATE: 9:45 p.m. Thursday, May 14
Isolated thunderstorms pounded parts of San Diego County Thursday night and led to a flash flood alert in the city of San Diego, according to the National Weather Service.
Some flooding was reported on Interstate 8, the weather service said. U-T San Diego reported that parts of Point Loma, the Midway District, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley and Mission Hills also had flooding.
At one point Thursday night, Lindbergh Field recorded 1.51 inches of rain in about 90 minutes, including 0.71 of an inch in just nine minutes, the weather service said.
The heavy rainfall led to a nearly two-hour delay in the Padres game at Petco Park where the team was playing the Washington Nationals.
It had rained earlier Thursday, but the tarp came off the field about an hour before first pitch. Rain started falling during the pregame managers' meeting and continued as the game started. The umpire sent the players off the field in the first half of the first inning after pitcher Tyson Ross struck out leadoff hitter Denard Span.
The storm is expected to continue into Friday and could lead to a challenging morning commute.
ORIGINAL POST:
A late-season Pacific storm hit the San Diego area Thursday, bringing with it cooler temperatures, rain, strong winds and the possibility of mountain snow.
The onset of much-needed precipitation in the drought-parched county — the second wet spell to arrive in a week — arrived in the early afternoon.
As of 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, the dark clouds had dropped 0.48 of an inch of moisture at Lake Cuyamaca; 0.45 in Pine Hills; 0.44 at Palomar Observatory; 0.4 in Couser Canyon, near Valley Center; 0.36 in Echo Dell; 0.32 on Volcan Mountain; 0.31 at Rainbow Camp; 0.29 at Birch Hill; 0.27 in Bonsall; 0.25 in Harbison Canyon; 0.22 at Sandia Creek; 0.19 at Henshaw Dam; 0.16 in Fallbrook; 0.14 in Kearny Mesa; 0.08 in Encinitas; 0.06 in Ramona; 0.05 in Mission Valley; 0.04 at Lindbergh Field; and 0.01 in Point Loma.
The heaviest showers were expected to come down tonight and Friday, with some weaker ones possibly lingering into the weekend. Total rainfall amounts are likely to range from 0.75 of an inch to 2 inches of rain across the region, with the higher totals concentrated on the coastal slopes, forecasters said.
Due to the likelihood of intense downpours at times, a flash-flood warning for coastal and valley areas was slated to go into effect at 4 a.m. Friday and continue into the early evening.
The county's highest-elevation locales may get dustings of snow, the NWS advised.
A wind advisory for the the mountains and deserts was slated to be active until 8 this evening, warning of sustained air currents of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. The conditions could cause hazardous driving conditions in some places, especially along Interstate 8 in the East County, according to meteorologists.
