Though there are undoubted other rail traffic effects of the current southern California “monster” rainstorm, it is reported this morning (Wednesday, 22 December 2010) that all Amtrak Surfliner and Coaster service has been stopped in San Diego County CA between Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines due to massive flooding in the Los Penasquitos Marsh, traversed by the rails, even with the river itself in substantial flow into the ocean. This affects passenger and presumably freight traffic between San Diego and Oceanside, with probable motorcoach bridging.
From my personal inspection there yesterday (Tuesday) there is a LOT OF WATER in that Marsh, possibly overflowing onto the perimeter Carmel Valley Road today. Surely there are other effects of this still-continuing rain on rail travel, about which other southern Californians can report here.
The AHPS (from the NWS website) page for the San Diego river shows the level as being the highest since 1980 and more than a half foot higher than 1995. I was working in Sorrento Valley in 1995, with the back door of the suite being 60 - 70’ from the tracks, the peak water level was getting darn close to the base of the rails. I wouldn’t be surprised if the water level was higher this morning than back then.
Forecast is calling for the rain to be tapering off, so I would expect the water level will drop in the Marsh by tomorrow morning.
To put matters into perspective, Lindbergh Field has reported 4.2 inches of rain in the last 6 days, normal annual rainfall there is about 9.5 inches. Rainfall totals for areas in the Los Penasquitos Marsh have been on the order of 6 to 7 inches for the last 6 days.
As of about 1430 PT this afternoon (Wednesday) the tracks through Los Penasquitos Marsh appeared to be several feet above the massive amount of water that was pooling and passing through the Marsh itself. However, according to the following news report
there was a washout at the north end of Sorrento Valley that allowed the water to overtop the rails. Note the two graphic photographs toward the end of the article. As the report also says, California Surfliner and the Coaster service are discontinued until Sunday. Work crews have their jobs cut out for them, not only with the complete ground water saturation, but now with another storm due to arrive this coming weekend.
The washout appears to be close to where the creek draining Penasquitos canyon passes under the tracks - I used to work about 2500’ further down the tracks. It wouldn’t take much in debris to plug up or significantly restrict flow through the trestle, at which point the water would be trying to find a way though the track structure. In 1995, I do remember the water covering part of the parking lot nearest the track and we were concerned that it might enter the building. I also remember some of JW Redwood’s inventory having been floated across Sorrento Valley Road - JW Redwood being adjacent to the creek.
Knowing the area, I’m not too surprised by the washout.