North San Diego County recorded notable rainfall over the New Year’s holiday as a series of storm systems continued to move across Southern California.
The city of San Diego broke a record dating back to 1855, receiving 2.07 inches of rain over the past 24 hours at the San Diego International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was 1.60 inches.
Preliminary data from the Weather Service showed that coastal areas picked up a solid round of precipitation in the 24-hour period ending at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, with San Marcos reporting 1.89 inches, Carlsbad reporting 1.34 inches, Vista 1.03 inches, Oceanside .95 inches and Encinitas .92 inches.
Inland, Escondido saw 2.30 inches, Ramona 2.29 inches and Valley Center 2.12 inches. Fallbrook received 1.38 inches. Higher-elevation spots saw even more, with the mountains topping 3 to nearly 5 inches in the same period. Palomar Observatory, for example, recorded 5.27 inches.
Those totals are part of a broader pattern this week that has brought a mix of light and moderate rain to the region. The recent rainfall is tied to a northern Pacific weather system drawing moisture from the south and lifting it into the coastal range, where air rises and cools, turning that moisture into rain — a classic winter precipitation mechanism in Southern California.
Looking ahead, the National Weather Service forecasts additional rain chances for North County through the weekend and into early next week. Parts of the region also may see thunderstorms, especially Sunday into Sunday night, as warm, moist air overlaps with colder aloft air.
In addition to rain, breezy conditions are expected at times, though no major wind advisories have been issued as of now.
New Year’s in local weather history
Moderate to severe wet weather during the New Year’s holiday isn’t unheard of in the region, according to Weather Service historical data.
On Jan. 1, 1934, heavy rainfall that started Dec. 30, led to 2.68 inches in Oceanside, 1.56 inches in Carlsbad, 2.44 inches in Escondido and .67 of an inch in San Diego.
On Dec. 31, 1940, a coastal bluff landslide in Del Mar caused a train derailment, killing three people. Heavy rains the previous week had loosened the soil.
Palomar Mountain saw upward of 18 inches of snow by Dec. 31, 2014, as a cold low pressure system dropped very low-elevation snow on the Southwest Riverside County communities of Temecula, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar.
This report was partially written using artificial intelligence, then edited and fact-checked against source material. View our AI policy on the About Us page.
