SAN DIEGO -- Residents of flood-prone areas west of San Ysidro Tuesday were urged to temporarily relocate to higher ground in advance of heavy rains expected toward the end of the week, police said.

The public-safety recommendation pertains to homes and ranches in the following sections of the Tijuana River Valley in southern San Diego: along the entirety of Monument Road; on Saturn Boulevard south of Leon Avenue; on Hollister Street south of Tocayo Avenue; and on Dairy Mart Road south of Camino de la Plaza.

The San Diego Police Department advises "residents and those who keep horses in the area (to) take this opportunity to move their families and animals to higher ground," SDPD spokeswoman Monica Munoz said in a press release issued Tuesday.

"It would be preferable if these arrangements are made prior to the arrival of the impending storms," she said. "Streets in the area will likely be closed during the rains, which will make any travel in and out of the area much more difficult."

The police department previously made the same recommendation to Tijuana River Valley residents and ranchers on previous occasions, though the message had been imparted via one-on-one contacts with officers who work in the rural locale just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, Munoz added.

Last December, the Tijuana River overflowed its banks in the area during heavy rains, trapping about two dozen residents and scores of livestock until firefighters and lifeguards rescued them. Several people had to be hospitalized for treatment of hypothermia, and a number of horses and other animals drowned or were euthanized due to the extent of their injuries.

Though the city began clearing clogged drainage channels in the valley several months ago in preparation for the upcoming rainy season, sections of it flooded during this week's downpours. Further inundations are likely when the next storm arrives, Munoz said.

Another unsettled weather system is expected to bring more showers to the San Diego region Thursday or Friday, according to forecasters.