Mission Valley River crossings closed after hurricane hit San Diego; Submerged SR-78 partially opened

Incessant overnight rain from the latest in a series of atmospheric river storms to hit San Diego County flooded streets and even freeways, causing dozens of accidents on rain-soaked roads and downed trees across the county on Wednesday.

By 9 a.m. Wednesday, the storm system had dropped two to three inches of rain on some coastal and inland areas and about 4 and a half inches of rain on the mountains. The hardest-hit areas were in the North County, where flooding blocked the state’s main highway Route 78 in both directions near El Camino Real around 3 a.m., causing traffic delays of an hour or more during morning commutes, according to Caltrans. reopened the road in both directions shortly after 13:15.

Caltrans spokesman Steve Welborn said the freeway flooding was due to a failed culvert and an emergency repair crew was called in to fix it. The area also developed a depression in the roadway that was a foot deep. It is not yet clear how this situation was resolved before the resumption of traffic on the SR-78.

Further east on SR-78, the freeway near the Banner Store was closed due to a landslide, according to Caltrans.

The oft-flooded Mission Valley area was once again under water, prompting city officials to close all roads that cross the San Diego River. “Do not attempt to drive, walk or drive through standing flood water and please report street flooding to the city’s Get It Done app,” they wrote on Twitter.

In North Park, several streets, including University Avenue, were flooded with rain. Signs were put up to warn drivers of flooding, but many did not heed the warning. The flood warning was in effect until 2 p.m. Thursday, and the National Weather Service warned drivers to turn if they encounter flooded roads. Most rain-related deaths are due to floods, according to the agency.

University Avenue at Arizona Street was one of several flooded roads in the North Park area on March 15, 2023. (NBC 7/Andi Dukleth)

Downed trees have also added to the problems of morning commuting, including some in the Soledad and Mount Hope areas. In the early morning in the Hillcrest area, a fallen eucalyptus tree blocked northbound lanes of SR-163. A driver named Simon just missed a falling tree. He was stuck in traffic for 30 minutes before Caltrans pulled the tree onto the right shoulder and the lanes were reopened.

It happened right before I got here,” Simon said. “Five seconds earlier I would have been dead.”

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatcher reported several vehicular accidents in the county, including a fatal crash during heavy rains on Interstate 8 in the Pine Valley area around 7:30 AM. CHP said the driver, a 61-year-old Yuma resident, was speeding and lost control of his vehicle. the vehicle veered off the right shoulder and overturned several times before coming to a stop.

A multi-vehicle collision was also reported shortly before 5 a.m. on Route 1-15 North near Carmel Mountain Ranch. In Kearny Mesa, an ambulance was called after a vehicle was on plane while driving westbound on SR-52 at around 7 am. In Eastlake, emergency personnel responded to a report that a sedan veered, rolled over, and ended up on an embankment off the southbound SR-52. 125.

The severity of the injuries sustained by the people involved in the incidents was not immediately clear.

The same storm system wreaked havoc in our north. Nearly 27,000 Californians were ordered to evacuate Tuesday due to flood and landslide risks. The power outage affected more than 330,000 utility customers in the northern and central regions, according to the Associated Press. The storm prompted a declaration of emergency in 40 counties.

Rain problems should subside – at least for San Diego County – during the day. NBC 7’s Sheena Parveen said the rain would stop by noon and the storm would subside by Thursday. However, the drought will not last long.

More rain is coming to San Diego County, and the next chance for a sea storm is possible from Friday through this weekend. In the middle of next week, another storm could reach the region and potentially bring snow to our mountains.

So far this winter, California has been hit by 10 previous atmospheric rivers — long plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean — as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that have caused snowstorms.

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