The city was taken by surprise as a powerful Pacific front hit San Diego on Monday, the third of three Pacific storms to hit the West Coast since Friday. The storm was expected to bring rain.
Monday was dubbed “the wettest January day on record in San Diego” by the National Weather Service (NWS) when the third storm, which was expected to be bigger, made landfall in the biggest city in California.
Severe flooding struck Tijuana and northern Baja California, prompting US Customs and Border Protection agents and San Diego Fire Department rescuers to save at least eight migrants, according to an NBC News report.
Due to a dense precipitation storm, Navy Base San Diego saw flooding late in the morning that affected several streets, Interstate 15.
“Due to extreme rainfall and flash flooding,” Mayor Todd Gloria declared an emergency and asked everyone to avoid the roadways. On Tuesday, the schools in La Mesa and Spring Valley will be closed.
According to NWS meteorologist Brandt Maxwell, the storm on Monday swung counterclockwise around the coast and struck northern Baja California, dealing San Diego a glancing but very powerful blow.
