SAN DIEGO — Flash floods swamped homes and overturned cars in San Diego on Monday afternoon as torrential rains swept across a large swath of the United States, toppling trees and flooding streets across California.
Early morning flooding hit the town of Guerneville, north of San Francisco, where a creek overflowed its banks after more than 4 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. The local school district canceled classes for the day.
The weather system later unleashed a powerful blow to the southern end of the state in the second major rain event of the winter.
Floodwaters swept away vehicles and caused cars to pile on top of each other in parts of San Diego. Several feet of water flooded the Mountain View and Southcrest neighborhoods, and several roads, including Interstate 15.
Over a three-hour period, 3 inches (7.6 cm) of rain fell in National City, while 2 inches (5 cm) fell at San Diego International Airport, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. During the winter, the region typically averages about 2 inches of rain per month.
Deputies pulled people to safety after water entered homes in the Spring Valley and Casa de Oro neighborhoods, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Zee Sanchez said. Other residents escaped by wading through waist-deep water carrying their dogs and cats.
“Flooding is quite widespread,” Sanchez said. The department assisted in a swift-water rescue near Santee, she said. No injuries were reported.
The San Diego River was overflowing, the National Weather Service said, warning that crossing streets would be dangerous.
The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management issued an evacuation warning near Topanga Canyon in effect through Tuesday morning due to a possible mud or debris flow.
In the north, there is an avalanche warning through Tuesday morning for rural mountain areas around the Lake Tahoe area, which could receive more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee, California. The storm is expected to bring up to 8 inches (20 cm) of snow to the lakeshore and up to 14 inches (35 cm) with winds up to 60 mph (95 kph) at higher elevations beginning Monday night .
In San Antonio, Texas, firefighters investigated whether five homeless people may have been swept away by heavy waters early Monday, according to fire department spokesman Woody Woodward. They were camping in drainage tunnels next to a highway north of downtown, authorities said.
Firefighters searched several locations, including drainage tunnels with the help of a boat, but found no one.
“No people were found, so I can’t confirm if there were actually five people swept away,” Woodward said, adding that the fire department had conducted 25 water rescue missions or investigative calls since Sunday night. until 8 am on Monday with no injuries reported. reported.
Parts of the San Antonio area had received up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain since Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall was also drenching Houston, Dallas, as well as several parts of North and East Texas.
In other parts of the country, like Arkansas, it gets freezing rain. Forecasters warned that up to half an inch (1.27 centimeters) of ice could cover parts of the state by Monday night. That prompted an ice storm warning that includes much of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and the cities of Fayetteville and Fort Smith. A small part of northeastern Oklahoma was also under an ice storm warning on Monday, the National Weather Service said.
The ice, combined with winds of up to 20 mph (32 kph), could cause power outages, the agency said.
Days of freezing temperatures have caused water problems in several cities in Arkansas and in Memphis, Tennessee, due to broken pipes and equipment.
Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers responded to more than 400 crashes and at least 600 stranded motorists as of 3:30 p.m. Monday, said Capt. John Hotz of the patrol. Three of the accidents were fatal, including one involving a vehicle that collided with a Missouri Department of Transportation truck in a rural area of northern Missouri. A transportation department spokeswoman said the truck driver was not injured. Parts of Interstates 70 and 44 were closed at the height of the icing, with officials describing the roads as sheets of ice.
“Just a lot of sliding,” said Dallas Thompson, a St. Louis-area police officer.
Across the country, winter weather and heavy rain are expected to continue this week.
Freezing rain and some snowfall were forecast in parts of the Midwest, lower Great Lakes and Northeast, the National Weather Service said.
Parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and the Gulf Coast are forecast to have heavy rain and thunderstorms Tuesday through Thursday, with some areas receiving up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain through Wednesday, according to the National Meteorological Service.
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Juan A. Lozano in Houston, Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and John Antczak and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.