The first of three storms to impact the region downed power lines, collapsed trees and brought up to an inch of rain to San Diego County, but the biggest storm was still ahead.
San Diego will see a break in the rain Friday before a second, bigger storm moves into the region early Saturday morning, NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said.
The next storm has the potential to bring another inch to an inch and a half of rain to the region and snowfall to mountain ranges above 5,500 feet.
“Everybody’s going to see rain out of this and more rain than we saw [Thursday],” Parveen said in NBC 7’s First Alert Forecast.
The only remnants of Thursday’s storm was some dense fog in the inland valleys Friday. Some roadways had visibility reduced to less than a quarter-mile but fog was expected to lift before sunrise.
San Diego saw on average a half-inch to an inch of rain across the county from the first storm alone.
By 8 p.m., La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Santee had received over an inch of rain, and Oceanside, Bonsall and Santee saw just under an inch. More than three-quarters of an inch fell in San Marcos, Carlsbad, and Encinitas.
The National Weather Service issued several alerts as the storm approached Thursday afternoon, including a flash flood advisory and a special beach hazard statement that warned of possible lightning strikes along the coast.
NBC 7’s Dagmar Midcap said 46 lightning bolts struck the ground or water during the warning period.
In San Marcos, residents had a close call when lightning struck a tree in their backyard causing an explosion and a fire.
The resident heard a loud boom when the lightning struck, and according to firefighters, the energy traveled down toward the ground and through a sprinkler system which caught on fire.
The explosion caused damage to the fence surrounding the property and the surge damaged wiring leading to the home.
City of San Diego crews said they responded to five downed trees Thursday.
In Ocean Beach, a nearly 20-foot tree narrowly missed a home near Del Monte Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. City crews were out in the dark cutting the tree into pieces and loading it into a trailer.
No one was injured.
“It just happened and anybody could’ve been walking by,” a nearby homeowner said. “Frequently there’s people on Sunset Cliffs with their pets or their children.”
In El Cajon, a flatbed tow truck lost control on the roadway and drive into a drainage ravine with a swift current. Another truck had to come and attached chains to the crashed truck and pull it out. The driver was not injured.
The County Department of Environmental Health issued a General Rain Advisory at all coastal beaches and bays due to urban runoff. Surfing, swimming and other water contact activities should be avoided for 72 hours after rainfall, the county said.
Heavier and more widespread showers will begin overnight Saturday and last throughout the day with the heaviest showers expected in the afternoon. The storm will linger through Sunday morning, Parveen said.
Then, a third storm system will bring showers starting Monday. In total, all storms combined could bring several inches of rain to parts of the county.
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Source: NBC San Diego
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