What did Tropical Storm Rachel do in San Diego, and what does it teach us for El Niño winter?
Rachel's remnants dropped 1.04" at San Diego's airport and 6.2" on Palomar Mountain on Oct 10–12, 2026. The worst problems came from surf, tides and storm drains; the San Diego River stayed below flood stage.
- Airport rain, Oct 10–12
- 1.04 in
- Wettest gauge
- 6.2 in
- Water rescues
- 2
- Ocean water advisory
- 72 hours
NOAA ACIS, San Diego Intl (KSAN): 0.73 + 0.29 + 0.02
Palomar Mountain, 72 hours ending 5 a.m. Oct 12 (NWS via KPBS)
Southeast San Diego storm drain; La Mesa culvert
County advises no swimming, surfing or diving during rain and 72 hours after
The short version
- San Diego International Airport logged 1.04" from Oct 10–12, 2026; Palomar Mountain logged 6.2" over 72 hours.
- The NWS ran a Coastal Flood Warning until 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct 11, then a Coastal Flood Advisory through Tuesday, Oct 13.
- Crews pulled one man from a storm drain near 33rd Street and Imperial Avenue and rescued another person from a La Mesa culvert.
- Coronado's Five Points intersection and part of Oceanside's Strand closed for flooding; Tamarack and Cardiff state beaches closed with storm damage.
- Weather West says the El Niño-driven season is December through March, so Rachel was a preview, not the main event.
Tropical Storm Rachel came ashore in Baja California late on Saturday, Oct 10, 2026, south of the border. Its remnants still soaked all of San Diego County that weekend. The official gauge at San Diego International Airport recorded 1.04 inches over Oct 10–12. The mountains got far more, and most of the trouble came from the ocean and from storm drains.
1.04"
San Diego airport, Oct 10–12
0.73 Sat, 0.29 Sun, 0.02 Mon
6.2"
Palomar Mountain, 72 hrs
0.72"
North Island NAS, 72 hrs
Lowest total in the published NWS list
53
Traffic collisions over the weekend
Mostly on freeways
How much rain fell where
Rachel rain totals across San Diego County
72 hours ending 5 a.m. Monday, Oct 12, 2026
Preliminary National Weather Service totals as published by City News Service via KPBS, Oct 12, 2026. A selection of the full list.
Totals varied a lot over short distances. Palomar got about six times the airport's total, and Birch Hill (5.73") and Lake Cuyamaca (4.16") were not far behind. Inland North County towns such as Fallbrook and Valley Center landed near 2.5 inches. Point Loma got 0.78 inches while National City, a few miles away, got 1.83. Even the desert got rain: Borrego Springs logged 1.14 inches.
What the Weather Service issued
Rachel's alerts in San Diego
- Fri Oct 9
Tropical Storm Watch
Issued for San Diego County while Rachel was about 900 miles off Baja.
- Sat Oct 10
Coastal Flood Warning and river advisory
Coastal Flood Warning through 3 p.m. Sunday. Flood Advisory for the San Diego River at Fashion Valley, forecast to crest just over 8 feet.
- Sun Oct 11
Watches cancelled, river stays in its banks
Tropical storm watch cancelled as Rachel went post-tropical. River advisory cancelled; crest forecast cut to 6.8 feet, below action stage.
- Tue Oct 13
Coastal Flood Advisory ends
The downgraded advisory for minor coastal flooding ran until 2 p.m.
- Fri Oct 9
Tropical Storm Watch
Issued for San Diego County while Rachel was about 900 miles off Baja.
- Sat Oct 10
Coastal Flood Warning and river advisory
Coastal Flood Warning through 3 p.m. Sunday. Flood Advisory for the San Diego River at Fashion Valley, forecast to crest just over 8 feet.
- Sun Oct 11
Watches cancelled, river stays in its banks
Tropical storm watch cancelled as Rachel went post-tropical. River advisory cancelled; crest forecast cut to 6.8 feet, below action stage.
- Tue Oct 13
Coastal Flood Advisory ends
The downgraded advisory for minor coastal flooding ran until 2 p.m.
Compiled from Times of San Diego (Oct 10–11), ABC 10News (Oct 11) and KPBS/City News Service (Oct 12, 2026).
A countywide Flood Watch also ran through Sunday evening, and a Wind Advisory covered the mountains and deserts, with gusts to 60 mph forecast along I-8 from Alpine to Ocotillo. The County's AlertSanDiego system also relayed an NWS Flash Flood Warning for parts of south central San Diego County on Oct 10.
Where it flooded and what broke
- Coronado: police closed the Five Points intersection (Pomona Avenue, Glorietta Boulevard and Tenth Street) for flooding and high surf.
- Oceanside: The Strand was partly closed from the pier area to Wisconsin Avenue, and Buena Vista Lagoon spilled onto the roadway.
- Carlsbad: waves broke up more of the Tamarack State Beach parking lot, which stays closed. Cardiff State Beach closed with rocks across the shore.
- Southeast San Diego: 31 firefighters used a rope system to pull a man from a fast-moving storm drain near 33rd Street and Imperial Avenue.
- La Mesa: crews freed a person trapped in a culvert near 70th Street and Alvarado Road. The person went to a hospital in stable condition.
- Countywide: firefighters answered 17 downed power lines and five transformer fires. We couldn't find an SDG&E count of customers who lost power.
What Rachel teaches for January to March
Five things to do differently before El Niño's main storms
- 01
Check your own gauge, not the airport's
The airport's 1.04 inches was one of the lowest totals in the county. If you live inland or up the hill, plan for two to six times that. Our live rain and flood card on /today shows the current picture.
- 02
Watch tides as closely as rain
Rachel's worst coastal damage came from surf on top of high tides, not from rainfall. Weather West warns that this winter's king tides, November through January, are likely to run above NOAA's predictions. Check the dates in our king tides guide.
- 03
Stay away from channels and drains
Both rescues happened in a storm drain and a culvert, where reports describe fast-moving stormwater. Stay out of channels and drains. Know the roads that flood on your routes.
- 04
Get sandbags before the forecast turns
The City of San Diego opened recreation centers as sandbag pickup sites before Rachel. Don't wait for the next watch. Here's where to get free sandbags.
- 05
Sort flood insurance now
A new flood policy doesn't start right away. Our flood insurance guide explains the 30-day wait, which is why October and November are the time to buy.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on October 29, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Event dates, times and prices are set by the organizers and can change or sell out. Confirm with the organizer's own page before you plan around them.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
NOAA Regional Climate Centers (ACIS) · 2026-10-29
Official station record: 0.73" Oct 10, 0.29" Oct 11, 0.02" Oct 12. Human-facing view: NWS NOWData at https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=sgx
KPBS / City News Service · 2026-10-12
Full NWS 72-hour rain list, rescues, Five Points closure, downed lines and transformer fires, county water advisory.
Times of San Diego · 2026-10-10
Watch issued Oct 9; Coastal Flood Warning; San Diego River advisory with 8-foot crest forecast; sandbag sites.
Times of San Diego · 2026-10-11
River advisory cancelled, 6.8-foot crest below action stage; Flood Watch; city beach warning.
ABC 10News · 2026-10-11
NWS alert list: Flood Watch, San Diego River Flood Advisory, Coastal Flood Warning then Advisory to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Wind Advisory.
ABC 10News · 2026-10-12
Oceanside Strand closure to Wisconsin Ave; Buena Vista Lagoon overflow; Tamarack damage.
NBC 7 San Diego · 2026-10-13
Tamarack and Cardiff state beach closures; Water Rescue Alert 2 status.
Weather West (Daniel Swain) · 2026-10-12
Autumn rain has little link to El Niño; peak California impacts Dec–Mar; king tides likely above predictions.
County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services · 2026-10-10
NWS Flash Flood Warning for parts of south central San Diego County.