REGION — San Diego County is cleaning up today after Tropical Storm Hilary, with no significant damage reported from the record-setting rainfall and “more typical weather conditions” on tap, according to the National Weather Service.
Rains tapered off Monday morning and had largely departed the region by Monday afternoon, while utility and repair crews worked to resolve power outages, clear mud flows and remove fallen trees and branches.
Three climate stations in San Diego received record rainfall for August on Sunday, according to the NWS:
— Escondido, 2.66 inches, breaking the prior record of 2.2, set in August 1945;
— Vista, 2.12 inches, breaking the record of 1.78, set in August 1977; and
— Cuyamaca, 4.11 inches, breaking the record of 4.1, also set in August 1977.
Wind gusts of up to 50 mph swept through San Diego and were up to 70 mph in the mountains.
Hilary weakened from hurricane strength to a tropical storm early Sunday off the coast of Baja California.
Other local 24-hour rainfall totals as of 5 a.m. Monday included 5.6 inches on Mount Laguna, 3.89 at Lake Cuyamaca, 2.71 in Julian, 2.52 in Fallbrook, 2.39 in Carlsbad, 2.36 in Valley Center, 2.32 at Oceanside Harbor, 2.26 in La Mesa, 2.22 in National City, 2.18 at Oceanside Airport, 2.15 in Poway, 2.07 at Montgomery Field airport, 1.99 in Vista, 1.95 in Ramona, 1.79 in Coronado, 1.78 in El Cajon, 1.75 at San Diego International Airport, 1.7 in San Pasqual Valley, 1.53 in Santee, 1.4 in Chula Vista, 1.33 at Brown Field airport, 1.16 in Alpine, 0.75 in Ocotillo Wells and 0.28 in Borrego Springs.
The San Diego Unified School District on Sunday rescheduled the first day of the school year from Monday to Tuesday due to the powerful storm.
“Postponing the first day will allow the district to assess any impact to sites and offices and ensure they are prepared to welcome students and families to the new school year,” the San Diego County Office of Education advised. “In conjunction with public-safety partners, school districts, charter schools and private schools are continuing to monitor weather and road conditions.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency on Saturday, with San Diego city and county officials doing the same. Newsom met with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Saturday at the San Diego Emergency Operations Center to discuss emergency preparations.
“The state stands ready to support communities impacted by Hurricane Hilary. … We’re mobilizing to prepare and respond to this storm,” the governor’s office stated.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was coordinating with California officials to provide support as needed. FEMA pre-positioned supplies at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, and a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team deployed to the California Office of Emergency Services and is prepared to assist with any requests for federal assistance. Additional teams were on standby for deployment if necessary, officials said.
The North County Transit District suspended the Coaster train service on Sunday due to the weather, but the trains were again running on Monday.
Amtrak and Metrolink both reduced their service for Sunday in San Diego County.
On Saturday, the U.S. Navy ordered San Diego-based ships out to sea to protect them against the storm. Those vessels included the carrier USS Nimitz and the destroyer Halsey.
Before Sunday, a tropical storm had not made landfall in California since 1939.
