Tropical Storm Hilary brought lots of rain to San Diego County and all that water will help tamp down the chance of a destructive wildfire in Southern California for a short time.
The storm deluged mountain areas in the county.
In the 24 hours from when the storm first made landfall in San Diego County on Sunday afternoon, several rainfall records were broken.
Escondido got 2.66 inches, breaking a record set in 1945.
The National Weather Service recorded 2.12 inches of rain in Vista breaking a record set in 1977.
But the most rain fell in the mountains:
— Cuyamaca’s NWS weather station recorded 4.11 inches of rain.
— Palomar Mountain got 6.2 inches of rain.
— Mount Laguna saw 4.63 inches in the first 24 hours after the storm hit land.
The rain has the added benefit of reducing the risk of wildfires in the backcountry.
“Now, with this rainstorm, hopefully that will be less of a concern, but the wind can dry out our fuels very rapidly,” said Thomas Shoots, a fire captain at Cal Fire San Diego. “And so, if we have a couple of Santa Ana wind events, what are our fuel conditions gonna look like? That has yet to be seen.”
The storm does not completely douse the wildfire risk because September and October are considered high-risk months for a firestorm.
San Diego County’s two most destructive wildfires started in late October during a Santa Ana wind event. The Cedar Fire in 2003 and the Witch Creek Fire in 2007.
Cal Fire officials said spring rains typically feed fledgling plants that grow and then dry out over the summer. These rains may encourage some flash fuels to grow — plants that can catch fire and spread flames quickly. But the overall fuel load should not change in the next month or two.
“We might see new growth on as far as new grasses and whatnot, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough to build up the fuel, the real fire potential on this one,” Shoots said.
Cal Fire will continue monitoring weather conditions and the moisture levels in plants to help track the risk of an explosive wildfire.
They hope the short-term benefits of an August rainstorm will not become a long-term liability in the form of an increased wildfire risk during peak fire season this fall.
