SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego County residents grabbed umbrellas and raincoats Wednesday as a cold storm system brought showers, flooding, winds, lightning, and snow to Southern California.
Wednesday will be cooler and windier, with the heaviest rain and threat of flooding between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to 10News meteorologist Megan Parry.
A Flash Flood Watch was in effect Wednesday until Thursday at 1 a.m. for the coast and mountain areas.
Anyone in need of sandbags to prevent flooding can get them for free through the County of San Diego or City of San Diego.
About 4 p.m., lightning strikes forced the California State Parks rangers to close Carlsbad state beach for safety.
Check the 10News Pinpoint Doppler Live radar
Thousands of people lost power around San Diego County Wednesday. The largest outages were in Chula Vista and Bonita, with some 4,300 customers out of power, and Oceanside, with 555 customers out of power. SDG&E's website listed the cause of many outages as being under investigation, and did not say whether the outages were related to the weather. Restoration times varied for the affected customers. See the SDG&E outage map here.
The power outages affected the San Diego Trolley's Blue Line service at the H Street station in the South Bay, the MTS reported on twitter. The issue was resolved within an hour.
Chula Vista Police notified the public that some traffic signals throughout the city are off due to the outage. The Norman Park Senior Center is also closed for the remainder of the day Wednesday.
A Beach Hazard Statement was also in effect until noon Thursday due to waves up to 8 feet and dangerous rip currents.
County environmental health officials issued a water contact advisory for beaches and bays due to bacteria from runoff. While many coastal outlets are posted with permanent metal warning signs, additional temporary signs are not posted for general advisories.
RELATED: Flooding concerns due to Escondido rains
By 11 a.m. Wednesday, snow was building on Mount Laguna. Snow levels will drop to around 5,000 feet today and several inches of snow are expected by Thursday night, according to City News Service.
Homeless shelters were opened Tuesday at the start of the storm. San Diegans can find housing and meals at Father Joe's Villages and Connections Housing Downtown thanks to the San Diego Housing Commission and City of San Diego. Shelter is provided when temperatures dip below 50 degrees with a chance of rain, or below 45 degrees with no precipitation.
SeaWorld San Diego was closed Wednesday but park officials anticipated reopening Thursday.
While the weekend should be sunny and dry, more wet weather could be on the way. Looking ahead to the week of Thanksgiving, San Diego may get another round of rain for the holiday and Black Friday, Parry reported.
