Rainfall Sets Record : Mercy Hospital Hard-Hit by Water Damage

A record San Diego rainfall for the date caused extensive water damage Thursday at Mercy Hospital and triggered a power outage that affected about 1,000 customers in Escondido.

The rain contributed to relatively few traffic problems, however, because the heaviest concentrations occurred late at night and early in the morning, authorities said.

And this weekend promises to be drier and warmer weather, according to forecasters.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, 1.04 inches of rain had fallen at Lindbergh Field, breaking the record for Sept. 25 of 0.47 set in 1939. Rainfall totals elsewhere in the county: Palomar Mountain, 4.50; Escondido, .90; Oceanside, .54; Del Mar, .50; La Mesa, 1.30, and Chula Vista, .90.

It was also the second heaviest rainfall on any day in September since records began in 1850. The record for a September day is 1.23 inches on Sept. 30, 1921.

The rainfall from this storm system brought the total rainfall for the weather season that started July 1 to 1.05 inches. Normal rainfall for the season to date is .41 of an inch.

Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest sustained water damage totaling “several hundred thousand dollars” and some services were suspended when rain soaked an uncovered section of the hospital currently under construction.

“We are in the midst of the construction of a two-story building where a one-story one now exists,” hospital spokesman Norman Greene said. “The contracting company, M.H. Golden, had stripped away the existing roof and were set to pour concrete today, but the rains came in force last night and drenched everything. Luckily, the contractor carries liability insurance and is sufficiently covered.”

Included in the water damage was X-ray equipment, computers, word processors, defibrillation equipment, lighting fixtures, and electrical systems, Greene said. Outpatient surgery, the eye center, portions of the emergency room and some X-ray rooms were closed for a time Thursday, but reopened with substitute equipment by 5 p.m.

There were numerous minor power outages throughout the county because of the weather. About 1,000 customers in downtown Escondido were without power for about four hours after wind-toppled trees felled power lines, said San Diego Gas & Electric Co. spokeswoman Karen Duncan.

“Most of our crews were busy, but not all of them were called out,” Duncan said. “Most of the calls were overnight and things had calmed down by mid-morning.”

San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson said road closures due to flooding included the Camino de la Reina underpass of California 163, the 2900 block of Kurtz Street, Midway Drive and Rosecrans Street in Point Loma, and Black Mountain Road north of Capricorn Way in Mira Mesa.

All of the roads had been reopened by mid-morning, Robinson said, and there were no major accidents because of the weather.

“The minor problems we had on the highways and streets were because of these drivers who don’t have a chance to experience driving in the rain very often,” Robinson said. “There were the normal fender-benders, but no critical injuries. There was still a little drizzle in the early morning, but we were lucky that the majority of the storm had passed by the time people were heading to work.”

Forecaster Richard Stitt of the National Weather Service said the clearer skies of Thursday afternoon should continue through the weekend. The beach areas will have partly cloudy skies with patchy dense fog in the early morning hours. Afternoons will be partly sunny today, and mostly sunny by Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be in the 68- to 74-degree range today, 70 to 76 Saturday, and in the upper 70s by Sunday. Lows will be in the upper 50s.

“The surf really wasn’t affected by the storm,” Stitt said. “It’s been between two and three feet, and should remain so through the weekend.”

Inland high temperatures will reach 72 to 80 today, and 78 to 83 Saturday and 82 to 90 Sunday. Lows will be between 48 and 59.

The mountain and desert areas will have lingering showers this morning as the storm system moves east, clearing by this afternoon with warmer temperatures. The gusty winds will also diminish by Saturday.

Mountain highs will be in the upper 50s today, reaching the mid-60s by the weekend. Overnight lows will be between 38 and 43. Desert high temperatures will be 75 to 85 today, 78 to 88 Saturday, and in the low 90s by Sunday. Lows will range from 53 to 63.