Residents Urged to Brace for Rain, High Surf, Floods

The winter weather that drenched parts of Southern California this week has spurred San Diego officials to step up warnings of possible heavy rain, high surf and flooding today.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor is urging coastal residents to sandbag their homes and secure their windows with plywood. Motorists are advised to stay off the roads during periods of heavy rain and to pay close attention to posted signs.

A blustery storm is expected to dump as much as an inch of rain in San Diego County, National Weather Service forecaster Frank O’Leary said. It will be cloudy with a 70% chance of rain this morning, decreasing to a 40% chance by afternoon.

The storm, centered off Northern California, is expected to bring another half inch of rain Thursday.

Temperatures will range Wednesday from inland highs in the 60s to mountain lows in the 30s, O’Leary said. A heavy surf advisory issued Monday will remain in effect through Thursday. Swells are expected to reach 6 to 8 feet.

Winds gusting to 30 m.p.h. in the mountains and 25 m.p.h. along the coast are expected to accompany today’s storm, O’Leary said.

This week’s showers have raised the season’s total to 6.46 inches, slightly above the season’s average of 5.79 inches. Last year at this time, San Diego had 2.31 inches.

City officials have been in touch with fire and police stations and the Red Cross to coordinate efforts in the event of flooding or high surf problems in San Diego. A 24-hour emergency number (234-3128) with tips on how to prepare for a storm has been established by the city.