Powerful storms that pounded San Diego County for almost a week, flooding streets and waterways and claiming at least two lives, are finally tapering off and will be followed by a warm-up that will last through the weekend, giving the region time to dry out.

To help with the damage left behind by the back-to-back storms, Gov. Jerry Brown issued state of emergency proclamations for San Diego County and others throughout the state Monday. The proclamations allow Caltrans to request federal resources and direct the Office of Emergency Services to provide assistance to the counties, which include dozens from Northern to Southern California.

Brown said in his proclamations that state and local officials estate damage across the state at tens of millions of dollars.

Locally, days of torrential rain and high winds rendered several of the region’s roads impassable and knocked out power in many neighborhoods. The Santa Margarita River in Oceanside reached flood level and some school districts in the county canceled classes because of the foul weather.


A man’s body was recovered Monday from a rain-swollen creek in North County and rescue crews were still searching the area for a child who may have been swept away by the surging water. Meanwhile, authorities released the name of a woman who died Saturday after being swept into the ocean off the cliffs in Ocean Beach.

Monday evening, Interstate 8 was shut down for nearly two hours in both directions near the La Posta Indian Reservation because of heavy snow. A little west, a rock slide near Kitchen Creek Road forced authorities to close a westbound lane.

“It’s been a heck of a few days,” said Dan Gregoria, a forecaster at the National Weather Service. “We’ve had everything from falling trees to creeks overrunning their banks. This has had a big impact on Southern California.”

In the rural Rainbow community, firefighters and search-and-rescue crews were called out at about 4:20 p.m. Sunday by residents who said a man and child may have been swept into the creek that flows behind the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant on Fifth Street.


The man’s body was found in the water about two hours later, but because the creek was too treacherous, rescue workers couldn’t recover it until Monday morning, said North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Buchanan.

As the creek receded, the wheels of an upside down white sedan were exposed roughly 25 feet from where the body had been found.

Authorities haven’t yet identified the victim, but a neighbor said he fears it may have been a man who lives nearby with his son.

Divers were still trying to access the vehicle at mid-day but conditions were making it difficult, Sheriff’s spokesman Ryan Keim said.


Rain was intermittent throughout the day in Rainbow and across San Diego County and hail was reported in several places, from Oceanside and Bonsall to Scripps Ranch.

The submerged car was about 100 feet downstream from the Fifth Street crossing, which residents said was closed as the Rainbow Creek surged Sunday afternoon.

Road closures haven’t stopped people from trying to cross that treacherous area in the past, said Rick Uhler, who lives just east of the creek.

“I’ve been here 15 years and have actually watched cars get washed off the road while they try to cross,” he said.


He and rescue officials estimated the creek was eight feet higher than normal on Sunday.

“It was the worst I’ve ever seen,” Uhler said. “This is a tragedy.”

The powerful storms also produced 10-foot plus waves along the coast. One of those waves swept two women into the sea at Sunset Cliffs on Saturday evening. One of the victims, identified as 23-year-old Adriana Toro on Monday, later died at a hospital, officials said.

A few trouble spots plagued San Diego County roads on Monday. Several streets in Mission Valley near the San Diego River flooded and a chunk of East Alvarado Road in Fallbrook was washed away, prompting a closure.


A large tree fell into Friars Road near Rancho Mission Road, blocking three lanes. It took San Diego city crews about an hour to clear the mess.

There could be more messiness early Tuesday. Forecasters say the storm will drop more showers before it fully pushes off to the east. The system was also expected to drop 5 to 9 inches of snow in Julian, and up to 1 foot on the peak of Mount Laguna.

The weather should turn seasonal by Wednesday, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s in San Diego.

The county has been hit by three potent storms since last Thursday — the wettest period the region has experienced since December 2010. The latest system caused a deluge on Sunday and early Monday in North County, which was hit harder than many other areas.


The system produced high winds on Sunday that snapped trees countywide. A large eucalyptus fell, crushing five vehicles in University City. It was similar to an incident that occurred at UC San Diego on Thursday. Downed euclyptus trees also crushed a house and a car in Vista on Saturday.

Public works crews were still cleaning up debris around the county as of late Monday,.

Related:

Strong winds, rain cause outages, damage across county


Searchers look for child feared drowned in Rainbow creek

Staff writer David Hernandez contributed to this report.


Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com