Low-Water Crossing Web Cameras

Please Do Not Drive Through Flooded Roadways!

 

Driving through a flooded roadway can be very dangerous for several reasons:

  1. Loss of Control:  When driving through a flooded roadway, the water can cause a loss of control of the vehicle, especially if the water is moving or deeper than expected. Your vehicle's tires may lose traction, making it difficult to steer or stop the car.
  2. Mechanical & Electrical Failures: If the water is deep enough to reach the bottom of the car, it can also cause the engine to stall, which can entrap you into the flood water. Water can also cause electrical systems in your vehicle to fail or short-circuit, leaving you without lights or other essential functions. 
  3. Hidden Dangers: Floodwater can hide debris, sharp objects, or other hazards that can damage your car or cause injury to you and your passengers. It's impossible to see what's below the water's surface, so you never know what dangers may be lurking beneath.
  4. Rapidly Rising Water: Floodwaters can rise rapidly and unexpectedly, so it's easy to find yourself in a dangerous situation. Flash floods, in particular, can appear suddenly and without warning.

 

So, if you encounter a flooded roadway, avoiding driving through whenever possible is best. It's important to stay calm, turn around, and find an alternative route to ensure the safety of you and your passengers.

 

Overview of Low-Water Crossing Web Camera Network

The San Diego County Flood Control District maintains four webcams at selected low water crossings throughout the county. The image position of the webcam may change from time to time as the cameras can be controlled by County emergency staff as they inspect the condition of the road during flooding, and look up and downstream to inspect the general condition of the stream.

The webcams transmit their data by Verizon wireless modems. Occasionally, voice traffic over the nearby cell towers increases, and Verizon temporarily blocks access to our webcams until the voice traffic decreases, usually for just a few minutes. If you try to access the webcam while it is offline, an alternative site can be accessed at https://sandiego.onerain.com. The co-located flood warning station is listed next to the webcam link below. Select Sites in the upper left corner of the home page, scroll down to the station you are interested in, select the station, select Stream Level, then click on the graph. The orange line on the graph represents the road surface, and the red line represents a road-closed condition.

 

Space

Quarry Road Flooding on December 14, 2021

The most significant storm of the 2021-2022 winter season impacted the San Diego region on December 14, 2021. This storm was characterized by an atmospheric river, which resulted in widespread precipitation across the area.

 

Rainfall totals on the 14th ranged from 1 to 2 inches over and west of the peninsular mountain ranges in San Diego County. The heaviest precipitation occurred during the late morning and early afternoon as narrow cold-frontal rainbands developed and produced rainfall rates between 0.5 and 0.75 inches per hour. These intense rainfall rates led to localized flooding in certain areas.

 

The image series provided below illustrates the flooding that transpired at Quarry Road as a consequence of this heavy rain event.

Quarry Road Flooding 12/14/21