Winter storm dumped record rain on San Diego County: Here’s how much

SAN DIEGO — The deluge of rain dropped on San Diego by a destructive winter storm Monday broke multiple records in parts of the region.

With an average of about 2.9 inches, the storm marked among the wettest January days recorded and — thanks to evening showers — the fourth overall wettest day on record in some parts of the county, according to the National Weather Service.

As much as four inches was dumped on some places in the span of only a few hours. To put this in perspective, most of the county west of the mountains receives an average of about 10 inches of rain per year, according to the San Diego Water Authority.

However, the onslaught caused significant power outages and widespread flooding, damaging homes and roadways. First responders had to rescue dozens of people stranded in cars and homes, as flood waters reached multiple feet in height.

Aftermath of the storm: What roads, schools remain closed due to flood damage

Light showers continued into Tuesday morning as the storm’s last band moved over the region, pushing four-day accumulated totals up a little more beyond Monday’s records.

About 2.73 inches of rainfall was recorded through midnight at sites in the City of San Diego, passing the previous record for the wettest January day by 0.2 inches. NWS says it came in fourth to the wettest day on record, which is Dec. 2, 1854 when 3.34 inches were dumped.

Outside the City of San Diego, the Alpine, El Cajon and Campo reporting stations also recorded “remarkable” rainfall, similarly ranking among the highest accumulations.

According to NWS, Campo Campo saw 3.22 inches and El Cajon received 2.98, respectively becoming the third and fourth largest rainfall accumulations for January in the areas’ history. Meanwhile, Alpine recorded 2.57 inches, becoming the fifth wettest day in January for the area.

Below is a breakdown of preliminary accumulated precipitation totals across the county as of 5 a.m. Tuesday. A full list can be found here.

Coastal Areas

Valley Areas

Mountain Areas

Desert Areas

Curious how much fell throughout the day? FOX 5 tracked rainfall totals as they were reported by NWS through 6 p.m. Monday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.