"Today! Giant Floods Swept Away Many Vehicles, Homes, in SoCal"

Another "sudden rain outburst" incident, this one in San Diego where "residual heat from a record-breaking wave created the perfect storm." The Heating Planet series continues at City of Angels Blog  Video / Transcript

 

 TRANSCRIPT k at the car. 0:11 On Monday, August 25th, 2025, Southern 0:15 California was gripped by a sudden and 0:17 violent meteorological event that 0:19 transformed sunbaked highways into 0:21 rivers and tranquil desert towns into 0:23 disaster zones. 0:27 A convergence of monsunal moisture, 0:29 unstable atmospheric conditions, and 0:32 residual heat from a record-breaking 0:34 wave created the perfect storm. 0:36 Literally, 0:39 by midafternoon, the National Weather 0:41 Service, NWS, had issued flash flood 0:44 warnings across Riverside, San 0:46 Bernardino, San Diego, and Imperial 0:50 counties, urging residents to seek 0:52 higher ground and avoid travel. The 0:54 warnings were not merely precautionary. 0:57 They were prophetic. 0:59 [Music] 1:00 The flash floods were triggered by a 1:02 monsunal surge sweeping northward from 1:04 Baja California, colliding with a 1:06 lingering heat dome that had kept 1:08 temperatures in the triple digits for 1:10 days. 1:12 Doppler radar detected thunderstorm 1:14 cells intensifying rapidly over the 1:16 Coachella Valley and eastern San Diego 1:19 County, dumping 1 to 2 in of rain per 1:22 hour. a staggering rate for the arid 1:24 region. 1:27 Wind gusts reached 50 mph and hail the 1:31 size of quarters pelted communities like 1:33 Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Berego 1:35 Springs. 1:37 [Music] 1:38 The saturated ground already stressed by 1:41 urban development and poor drainage 1:43 infrastructure gave way to torrents of 1:45 runoff that overwhelmed creeks, storm 1:48 drains, and highways. 1:52 NWS issues a flash flood warning for 1:55 Riverside County. Rainfall rates exceed 1:58 1 in per hour. Automated gauges confirm 2:01 flooding in Palm Desert and Rancho 2:03 Mirage. Emergency alerts are sent to 2:06 mobile devices. 2:10 Severe thunderstorm warnings expand to 2:12 San Diego and Imperial counties. Hail 2:15 and wind damage reported. Highway 86 2:18 near the salt and sea becomes 2:20 impassible. Multiple vehicles stranded 2:23 in rising waters. 2:26 Mudslides reported near MT San Jasinto 2:30 State Park. Evacuation orders issued for 2:33 hillside communities. Flash flood 2:35 warnings remain active. Emergency 2:38 shelters open in El Centro and India. 2:41 Highway 86. One of the most dramatic 2:44 scenes unfolded near Desert Elmore 2:46 Ranch, where Highway 86 was swallowed by 2:49 floodwaters, stranding dozens of 2:51 vehicles. 2:53 Big drop over here. 2:54 Video footage captured by local 2:56 residents showed cars bobbing like 2:58 buoys, their headlights flickering 3:00 beneath muddy currents. 3:04 Emergency crews waited through chest 3:06 deep water to rescue trapped motorists, 3:08 some of whom had climbed onto their 3:10 roofs to escape the rising tide. 3:14 "It was like watching the desert turn 3:16 into an ocean," said Maria Gonzalez, a 3:19 nurse from Broly who was rescued after 3 3:22 hours. 3:24 In Palm Springs, flash floods inundated 3:27 low-lying neighborhoods, damaging homes, 3:31 businesses, and public infrastructure. 3:33 Power outages affected over 12,000 3:35 residents. And emergency dispatch 3:38 centers were overwhelmed with calls 3:39 reporting collapsed roofs, flooded 3:42 basement, and stranded elderly 3:44 residents. 3:47 In Berago Springs, the local hospital 3:49 activated its emergency protocol as 3:52 access roads became impassible. 3:54 Helicopters were dispatched to airlift 3:56 critical patients to facilities in San 3:58 Diego. 4:02 Schools across affected counties 4:03 announced closures for August 26th, 4:06 citing unsafe conditions and damage to 4:09 facilities. "We've never seen anything 4:11 like this," said Superintendent Carling 4:14 of the Imperial Unified School District. 4:16 Entire classrooms were underwater. 4:21 California's Office of Emergency 4:23 Services, Cal Ooes, activated its level 4:27 two emergency operation center, 4:29 coordinating with FEMA, local fire 4:31 departments, and the National Guard. 4:36 Over 300 personnel were deployed to 4:38 assist with evacuations, 4:40 shelter management, and infrastructure 4:43 assessment. 4:44 Governor 4:46 Elena Martinez issued a state of 4:48 emergency unlocking federal disaster 4:50 relief funds and authorizing the use of 4:53 state resources for recovery. This is a 4:56 moment for resilience, she said in a 4:58 televised address. We will rebuild, but 5:01 first we must protect lives. 5:05 Thanks to advancements in automated rain 5:07 gauges and radar-based forecasting, the 5:10 NWS was able to issue timely warnings 5:12 that likely saved lives. Mobile alerts 5:15 reached millions and social media 5:17 platforms became hubs for real-time 5:19 updates, rescue coordination, and 5:22 community support. 5:25 AI powered flood modeling helped 5:27 emergency planners predict which 5:29 neighborhoods were most vulnerable, 5:31 allowing for targeted evacuations. We're 5:33 seeing the future of disaster response 5:35 unfold, said Dr. Raj Patel, a climate 5:39 resilience expert at UC Riverside. 5:43 Experts warned that the August 25th 5:46 floods are not an anomaly, but a symptom 5:48 of a changing climate. Warmer air holds 5:51 more moisture, increasing the intensity 5:53 of rainfall events. Combined with urban 5:56 sprawl and aging infrastructure, the 5:58 risk of flash floods is rising. 6:03 In the first half of 2025 alone, over 6:06 2,400 flash flood warnings were issued 6:09 nationwide, with California among the 6:12 top four states affected. "We're 6:14 entering an era where deserts flood and 6:16 coastlines burn," said Dr. Emily Chan, a 6:19 meteorologist with Noah. 6:22 A severe thunderstorm moved through 6:24 eastern San Diego County Monday 6:26 afternoon, prompting the National 6:28 Weather Service to issue a flash flood 6:30 warning for parts of the mountains and 6:32 deserts. 6:35 A similar weather pattern was expected 6:37 for Tuesday and Wednesday as monsunal 6:39 moisture gripped the region. With it 6:41 came the possibility of heavy rainfall, 6:44 at times at a rate of more than 1 in per 6:46 hour, to the mountains and deserts in 6:48 the afternoons. 6:51 Some mountain areas could even see rates 6:54 push 2 in an hour. 6:56 The National Weather Service said 7:00 on Monday, the NWS began issuing alerts 7:03 for extreme weather as a thunderstorm 7:05 moved southeast. 7:09 A severe thunderstorm warning was issued 7:11 for east central San Diego County until 7:14 300 p.m. The NWS said the storm was 7:16 bringing 70 mph winds and nickelsiz 7:19 hail, adding that damage was likely to 7:22 occur to roofs, outbuildings, and trees. 7:27 Torrential rainfall is occurring with 7:29 this storm and may lead to flash 7:31 flooding, the NWS said. 7:34 Water everywhere, bro. The NWS also 7:37 issued a flash flood warning until 5:00 7:39 p.m. for southeastern San Diego County 7:42 where anywhere between a half in and 7:44 1.25 in of rain had already fallen. 7:49 Under the warning were I8 between Pine 7:52 Valley and Boulevard, Alpine, Mount 7:55 Lagona, Lake Morina, Pine Valley, Campo, 7:59 Petero, Highway S1 between Lake Cayamaka 8:03 and Mount Lagona, Barrett Lake, and 8:05 Dulura. According to the NWS, 8:10 a flash flood warning means 8:11 life-threatening flash flooding of 8:13 creeks, streams, urban areas, highways, 8:17 and streets are possible. The NWS warned 8:20 drivers to always turn around when 8:22 encountering flooded roads. The agency 8:24 warned most food deaths occur in 8:26 vehicles. 8:29 In hilly terrain, there are hundreds of 8:31 low water crossings which are 8:33 potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do 8:35 not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find 8:38 an alternate route. The NWS said 8:43 the bulk of the storm was expected to 8:45 clear by 6:00 p.m., but a similar 8:47 weather pattern was expected for Tuesday 8:49 and Wednesday afternoons. 8:53 Most of the activity should stay over 8:55 the mountains and deserts again with 8:57 only about a 20% chance of any showers 9:00 drifting west of the mountains. NBC 7 9:02 meteorologist Greg Bledo said 9:06 a flood advisory and a flood watch were 9:09 also in effect. 9:12 The rest of the county will continue to 9:14 experience hot and humid temperatures to 9:17 begin the week. Bleo said by the end of 9:20 the week, San Diego's weather should 9:22 return to more seasonal conditions. 9:40 The first And that thing got four.