Storm knocks out power to as many as 14,000 customers across San Diego County

Winds gusting upward of 60 mph have knocked out power to as many as 14,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers across San Diego County and could become more numerous as the core of a large Pacific storm moves ashore.

The storm began pushing into North County around 1 p.m. and is spreading south and east, the National Weather Service said. Thunderstorms might be embedded in the bands of moisture. A flood advisory will be in effect for North County until 4:30 p.m.

Palomar Mountain has already received 1.31 inches of precipitation.

SDGE reported that the majority of the outages are located in San Diego, Mission Valley, Ocean Beach, North Park and Kearny Mesa. Outages have also occurred in Encinitas, El Cajon, Del Mar, and Poway.

“(The storm) isn’t strong enough to knock over power lines … but you always run the risk of cars running into transformers and power poles, possibly bringing down lines,” SDG&E spokesperson Alex Welling said. “And then these winds can pick up everything from palm fronds, to tarps to patio furniture and throw them into power lines.”

Welling warned residents to drive carefully and to not approach downed power lines.

Forecasters estimated that the winds would peak at 40 mph. But there were gusts to 61 mph at Cuyamaca Peak in East County; 59 mph in Imperial Beach;  52 mph in San Marcos, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and at the Sweetwater Reservoir near Bonita; 50 mph in Tecolote Canyon in the Clairemont area; 47 mph at San Diego International Airport and 43 mph at Olivenhain.

The wind, which whipped up small white caps in San Diego Bay, hit 40 at Brown Field and 39 mph at UC San Diego.

In City Heights, a man was killed by a fallen tree around 10:55 a.m. on the corner of Marlborough Avenue and Wightman Street.

San Diego officials were dealing with several other fallen trees around the city, though none of the others had caused injuries.

“This is so typical during high winds,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Jason Shanley. “It’s going to be a busy night for the city.”

Jayson Carpenter, a Cardiff resident who has been renting a home on Oxford Street near Oak Street for the last five years, said he, his wife, Shane, and their two dogs were all at the house Wednesday afternoon when they noticed the 60- to 80-foot Torrey pine at the edge of their deck beginning to lean in the weather. Within a few minutes, the tree had fallen, and its main trunk narrowly missed the Carpenter’s home by about 8 feet, Jayson said.

Carpenter said some of limbs branching out from the main trunk did cause some damage to the home’s roof, and that the tree’s root ball was completely pulled out of the ground — lifting the family’s front deck over a dozen feet in the air. The tree also fell on a neighbor’s car and damaged another deck next door, but no injuries were reported.

“This was the only way it could’ve fallen without it hunting anyone,” Jayson said. “It’s kind of a Christmas miracle.”

Lemon Grove parks were all closed Wednesday afternoon due to high winds after a tree fell at Lemon Grove Park, according to Izzy Murguia, the city’s public works director. The closure is expected to last through Christmas and will be reassessed on Dec. 26.

The airport experienced nearly 200 flight delays before noon. They were largely the result of the high winds, which forced a change in direction for arriving and departing flights, airport spokesperson Nicole Hall said.

The FAA made the determination to have all flights switch directions, meaning that instead of taking off and arriving from the west, they are now doing so from the east. In order to make the transition, operations need to stop temporarily, which causes delays, Hall said. Travelers should monitor their planned flights and check for possible delays

As the main onslaught of rain began to fall early Wednesday afternoon, freeway motorists were seen driving slowly and avoiding everything from tumbleweeds to scattered debris blowing across the roadway. Around 2 p.m., online California Highway Patrol call logs showed officers were responding to more than 35 ongoing incidents ranging from traffic hazards to collisions to defective traffic signals.

On X, a user posted a photo showing a downed traffic signal lying across Mission Boulevard, just outside the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa.

Coronado police told residents to avoid Park Place and Star Park Place due to downed wires around 12:30 p.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he’s declared a state of emergency in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Shasta counties “to activate emergency authorities and preposition resources to keep our communities safe.”

The system is drawing extra energy from the subtropics, making the region unusually warm. San Diego has hit 72 degrees, which is 6 degrees above average.

Forecasters say the storm will play out in two waves. The first will drench the region from early afternoon until late Wednesday night, when it fades out. The system dropped 0.43 inches of rain on Palomar Mountain before dawn Wednesday.

A second, smaller wave will arrive Thursday night and linger into Friday morning. Scattered showers could last into Saturday. And forecasters are eyeing the possibility that another storm will arrive on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

The two waves of rain could collectively drop 2 to 3 inches of rain across the county — more moisture than many communities receive during the entire month of December. The precipitation will spread from the northwest to the southeast, with the heaviest rain expected near Oceanside and across inland valleys and the mountains.

San Diego lifeguards will have swiftwater rescue teams in place Wednesday and Thursday in North County, the San Diego River in Mission Valley, and near the border. The rain is expected to cause the San Diego River to rise to 7.6 feet, and for the Santa Margarita River near Fallbrook to reach 11.1 feet.

First responders are urging people to stay away from the river banks and to refrain from walking near the water’s edge of local beaches, where waves are projected to reach 5 to 8 feet, with periodic sets to 9 feet. Forecasters advise that people immediately seek shelter if they hear thunder.

Motorists are also urged to avoid driving through flooded roads.

It’s possible that the storm will produce a bit of snow late Thursday into Friday in the upper reaches of Mount Laguna and Palomar Mountain.

Staff writers Lori Weisberg, Caleb Lunetta, Alex Riggins and Hannah Elsmore contributed to this story.