A cold storm system that moved out of the region Friday brought as much as 2 inches of rain and 13 inches of snow to parts of San Diego County, and more is on the way next week.
The heavy precipitation resulted in flooding in some spots, including in La Jolla where people were trapped in their vehicles Thursday night.
Around 8 p.m., firefighters and lifeguards received a report that four vehicles were submerged at the intersection of La Jolla Village and Villa La Jolla drives, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials said.
Lifeguards pulled three occupants out of a minivan, officials said.
Firefighters said they rescued one more person in another car, and two remaining vehicles caught in the swift-running water at the intersection were empty by the time firefighters responded.
By 9 p.m., in an area stretching from Clairemont Mesa to Miramar, rain fell at a rate of close to half an inch an hour, said Paul Steward, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The rainfall over the last 48 hours in San Diego County brought more than 2 inches of rain to Miramar, about 1.8 inches to Poway and nearly an inch of rain to San Diego and Chula Vista. Palomar Mountain, at nearly 5,500 feet, received approximately 13 inches of snow, and Julian saw about 4 inches.
The next rainfall is expected to land in the mountain areas Monday night through Tuesday. However, a storm of similar magnitude as the one seen this week is expected to hit Thursday morning across the county.
“That one Thursday looks like it’s definitely going to be a very wet system,” said Sam Zuber, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. “We may see some accumulating rainfall, even down near the coast and all the valleys.”
Next week’s storm is projected to bring an inch to 1½ inches to the valley and coastal areas, Zuber said.
Zuber said Sunday and Saturday’s forecasts around the county show sunny skies with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s and lows in the high 40s.
