Flooding, mudslides in southern California as San Diego has its wettest January day
A state of emergency was declared in San Diego after parts of the city were left underwater due to more than a month's worth of rain in a single day.
Heavy rain on Jan. 22 led to widespread floods throughout San Diego, swamping interstates, stranding drivers and forcing multiple water rescues.
Mudslides, evacuations and water rescues were reported across Southern California Monday as heavy rain inundated the region. Videos showed cars underwater and floating away in parts of San Diego, one of the areas hit the hardest by the deluge. Multiple states of emergency were declared across San Diego County.
"Never seen anything like this in San Diego," one Mountain View resident told ABC10. In the Southcrest neighborhood, located just southeast of downtown, hundreds of families were rescued after a creek overflowed.
A state of emergency was declared in San Diego due to the extreme rainfall. “Our emergency responders will continue to address the impacts around the clock,” Mayor Todd Gloria said.
Over 5 inches of rain fell northeast of downtown San Diego, which triggered the intense flooding. At the city's airport, 2.73 inches were measured, setting a record for the most rain on any January day. Monday also ranked as the fourth-wettest day on record. The historical average rainfall in San Diego for all of January is 1.98 inches.
San Diego will have an extended break from the stormy pattern following the record-setting rainfall Monday, with dry weather in the offing for the rest of the week and into the upcoming weekend.
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