Another storm system that will bring rain moves into San Diego County Tuesday and forecasters predicted that there will be a slight lull late Wednesday, but that will be followed by another weaker storm at the end of the week.
"A weak storm system will move through the area later (Tuesday) into early Wednesday," the National Weather Service said. "This will bring light to moderate rain showers and accumulating snowfall in the mountains. There will be a brief lull in the action on Wednesday, with sunnier but continued cooler weather."
A third system predicted to begin by late Thursday into Friday will bring another round of rainfall and higher elevation snow.
The weekend storm brought a lot of rain. Saturday saw at least 1.27 inches of precipitation in San Diego — about a quarter-inch more than the city averages during the entire month of November — 2.40 inches at Camp Pendleton and 2.30 inches in Oceanside, the National Weather Service reported.
The California Highway Patrol responded to as many as 20 incidents per hour countywide throughout the day, including spinouts, traffic collisions flooded highways, and mud, dirt and rock slides among other traffic hazards, according to the CHP's online traffic incident information page. Calls for service Sunday were a fraction of that, typical of weekend traffic.
San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighters and lifeguards responded to several water rescues in the city throughout the day Saturday, according to the department's online dispatch log, but there were no such calls for service as of midday Sunday.
The SDFD put out a call to all stations Sunday morning advising that the city was in a Water Rescue Alert 1 status, reducing personnel from Saturday's Water Rescue Alert 3 status that was in effect all day. A fire department spokesman told City News Service that Sunday was more of a typical day regarding calls for service.
A rain advisory for all coastal beaches and bays that was issued Saturday by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality remained in effect Sunday.
"Beachgoers are advised that rain brings urban runoff, which can cause bacteria levels to rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets, and may cause illness," the agency said in a statement.
Water contact such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided during rain and for 72 hours following the rain event, according to health officials.
Businesses in South Mission Beach were drying out Sunday after a day of typical flooding that occurs along Mission Boulevard whenever it rains heavily during high tides.
The Beachcomber bar stayed open during Saturday's flooding, as patrons were advised to wear flip-flops and enter through the back door, according to an employee who did not want to be identified when contacted by phone.
Mission Market stayed open Saturday, but there were no customers due to the lack of access, according to employee Diego Delahoz, who said the water level reached about six or seven inches outside and remained that high all day. The market did not flood.
"If we didn't have the sandbags and wood blocking the door, we would have been flooded for sure," Delahoz said. "It happens every time it rains for more than an hour."
The flooding had subsided by the time Delahoz returned to the store Sunday for his 8 a.m. shift.
Horse racing was back on as scheduled Sunday after the rain forced the Del Mar Race Track to close Saturday.
To help the unsheltered weather the storm, the San Diego Housing Commission activated shelters across the city. A full list of the facilities is available online at sdhc.org/homelessness-solutions/.
"Safe and dry shelter can be the difference between life and death for our most vulnerable neighbors, including families, young children and seniors," said Jim Vargas, president and CEO of homelessness services agency Father Joe's Villages. "Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly throughout every inclement weather period to ensure that people are safe, warm and fed. Last year alone, we provided 4,672 bed nights of inclement weather shelter, which adds up to one person sleeping in one bed per night."
San Diego city staffers were monitoring more than 46,000 storm drains during the rainy weather, along with recently cleared channels in the Chollas Creek area. Residents can report storm-related issues, such as flooding or downed trees, by using the Get It Done app or by calling 619-527-7500.
Sandbags were made available in limited supply to San Diego residents leading up to the storm.
The city of San Diego took precautions to protect residents at Safe Sleeping Program sites and other homeless-shelter locations by fortifying some areas with sandbags. Outreach teams were in the San Diego River and other areas alerting people of the coming rain and offering resources.
Temperatures will be on the cool side all week, in line with traditional November weather. The forecast for next weekend shows clear skies.
