Heavy Rain — San Diego, California

2017-01-09 · near Fallbrook, San Diego, California

Event narrative

An 80 ft oak tree fell on a mini van killing the driver. Saturated soils were likely an influencing factor. Winds were light at the time.

Wider weather episode

A series of troughs and associated Pacific fronts swung through the region between the 5th and 9th of January, bringing largely beneficial rains, high elevation snow, and strong inland winds. Rainfall west of the mountains caused some minor urban flooding, but overall impacts were limited by low rain rates over an extended period. Rain totals ranged from 6-7 inches along the coastal slopes to 1-2 inches near the coast. Peak westerly wind gusts along the desert slopes were mostly in the 45-65 mph range, though a surfacing mountain wave in Burns Canyon produced a very impressive 107 mph wind gust.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.4103, -117.2080)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 675847. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.