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San Diego just saw its rainiest day in January history as officials warn of the “fragile state” of the city’s infrastructure
San Diego’s usually sunny days were clouded by a new record on Monday – the “wettest day in January history,” as officials declared the widespread flooding it caused revealed a “fragile state” in the city’s infrastructure.
The National Weather Service said that the Southern California city – the state’s second most populous – saw 2.73 inches of rain on Monday, beating the previous record for the wettest January day that was set on Jan. 31, 1979. That same day now ranks fourth among the most rain recorded in a single day in 174 years of record-keeping history in the city.
The most rain ever recorded in a single day in San Diego was 3.34 inches in December 1854.
The National Weather Service described the rainfall with a single word – “wow.”
While there were “a few isolated showers” in the morning, the service’s local station said that Tuesday “is looking much, much quieter.” Most rain in the area was expected to be done by late morning, “with some showers lingering in the mountains through the afternoon.”
Hundreds of miles across California were impacted by Monday’s weather systems, with parts of Southern California seeing rare widespread flash flooding.
CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti said that the rain fell so quickly in San Diego, that it turned roads into “raging rivers powerful enough to lift entire cars.” The fire department told Vigliotti that hundreds of people had to be rescued – in some cases, with boats.
“The highest part of our house was our kitchen island,” one local resident told Vigliotti, “and that’s where we were sitting on top of until we were able to get out safely.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has declared a state of emergency for the city, saying in his proclamation that the storm system threatened “conditions of disaster and extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.” The city’s Stormwater Department said the widespread flooding seen across San Diego “is what happens when heavy rainfall overwhelms an aging stormwater system with limited capacity.”
“Monday’s record rainfall revealed the fragile state of the City’s stormwater infrastructure and the need for significant investments going forward to prevent the current situation from becoming the new normal for San Diego,” the city said in a release on Tuesday. “Prior to the storm, the City had several hundred employees out in the field clearing storm drains and doing other prep work to help reduce flood risk citywide.”
Extreme precipitation events are expected to become more frequent as global temperatures continue to increase. As explained by the Environmental Protection Agency, warmer air temperatures contribute to warmer ocean temperatures, thereby increasing the amount of water that evaporates into the atmosphere.
“When more moisture-laden air moves over land or converges into a storm system, it can produce more intense precipitation—for example, heavier rain and snow storms,” the EPA says. “The potential impacts of heavy precipitation include crop damage, soil erosion, and an increase in flood risk due to heavy rains —which in turn can lead to injuries, drownings, and other flooding-related effects on health.”
Jonathan Vigliotti contributed to this report.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.