SAN DIEGO — A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for San Diego and elsewhere in Southern California Friday afternoon, with bursts of rain, lightning and hail reported widely around the region.
A little after 3:30 p.m., the thunderstorm was over the area of downtown San Diego, moving west at about 15 miles per hour. Heavy rainfall and some minor flooding were reported around the city. The severe storm warning was lifted as of 4:15 p.m., though some neighborhoods were still seeing plenty of rainfall in bursts.
Meanwhile, a flash flood warning was in place further east until 5:15 p.m. Affected areas included Ramona, Alpine, Mount Laguna and Julian, as well as highways including Interstate 8 between Alpine and Boulevard.
Familiar problem areas closer to the city of San Diego, including state Route 94 at Via Mercado in the Spring Valley area, saw significant enough flooding that authorities shut down lanes (SR-94 reopened around 6 p.m. — Caltrans publishes updates on Twitter).
National Weather Service also warned of large puddles building on the road in parts of East Village and downtown and advised drivers to slow down. You can check traffic conditions with our live map before heading out Friday evening or driving home from work.
At Petco Park, the Padres had their game delayed due to the inclement weather. The team shared a photo on Twitter of a lightning strike over a tarp-covered field. Action was expected to resume about 6:15 p.m.
Areas affected by the storm more broadly Friday included Chula Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Vista, Encinitas, National City, La Mesa, Poway and Imperial Beach.
By 4:15 p.m., the University Heights neighborhood had seen just under half-an-inch of rain. The Fashion Valley and Point Loma areas had seen .44, San Diego International Airport about .42, and Carlsbad around a tenth of an inch. You can check updating rainfall totals via the National Weather Service.
Have recordings from your neighborhood during the wet weather? Share your photos and videos here.
City News Service contributed to this report.