Here's what's going on in the Friday edition of the Streamline newsletter:
San Diego is waking up to another morning of showers, with more rain possible into the weekend. Meteorologist Megan Parry has more on what you can expect today and this weekend in her microclimate forecasts.
Plus, ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons is following through with the City of San Diego about its team of “lid lifters” and the many questions and concerns raised by residents about the trash bin inspection program.
The end of the year is approaching fast, and that means some San Diegans are looking to spend their FSA dollars. Consumer reporter Marie Coronel looks at the items you are eligible to purchase with your account.
THE STREAMLINE:
ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Friday, Nov. 21 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
Another round of scattered showers were expected across San Diego County Friday, possibly leading into Saturday, with signs of warmer weather slowly moving in by the end of the weekend, forecasters said.
Due to ongoing rainfall, a flood advisory was in effect early Friday morning for the county. Between 0.75 to 1.25 inches of rain have fallen and an additional 0.5 inches was expected. Minor flooding in poor drainage areas such as some urban zones could occur, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said Friday morning could see 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulated around areas reaching levels of 6 to 6,500 feet.
Coastal San Diego will be partly cloudy over the next few day, but will see some sun by the beginning of next week. Highs should be mostly in the mid-60s. Mountain areas will remain in the mid-40s to low 50s over the weekend, while the deserts are fairly cool but are a little warmer, with highs in the low 60s.
Likely showers and possibly a thunderstorm were expected in Downtown San Diego before 10 a.m. Friday. The downtown forecast should be mostly cloudy, with a high near 64 and southeast winds from 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation was at 60%.
Showers should become more confined to the mountains and deserts by late Friday into Saturday. Periods of gusty east to northeast winds were also expected for those areas, the NWS said.
Marine forecasters said there is a slight chance of thunderstorms through Friday afternoon. Any thunderstorm could bring lightning, gusty winds, choppy seas and a waterspout, they added.
"A very slow warming trend sets in for the end of the weekend into early next week," the NWS said. "There is the potential for weak Santa Ana winds by the middle of next week."
USEFUL RESOURCES:
Story by City News Service
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
The overnight rain may have played a role in a semi-truck crash on state Route 15 near San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood.
Just after 10 p.m. Thursday, a big rig slammed into the center divider on northbound SR-15 near Adams Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The exact cause of the crash is unknown, but CHP officials confirmed about 60 gallons of diesel spilled onto the roadway and parts of a concrete barrier were damaged.
Due to the crash, all northbound lanes were closed for several hours, with traffic diverted onto Interstate 8.
A hazardous materials crew was also dispatched to the scene for the fuel spill cleanup.
By 5 a.m. Friday, lanes were reopened.
ABC 10News learned Caltrans crews would return later in the morning to assess and repair the damaged barrier.
CONSUMER:
As 2025 winds down, many people are looking to cash in on their Flexible Spending Account (FSA) health care funds. But as you stare at the shelves at the pharmacy, remember that not everything is covered.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel goes over what your FSA dollars can get you and how you can avoid tax-related mistakes:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
A lot of San Diego residents are still questioning the city’s team of “lid lifters,” so ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons brought those concerns to city officials.
The city sends the lid lifters to neighborhoods to lift trash, recycling, and organic waste bins to see if everything is sorted correctly.
Alexander Galasso, who manages the city’s Waste Reduction Program, said, “When people are given the option of doing the right thing, they want to do that. Especially because this is our home.”
Since the beginning of October, the lid lifters have checked more than 20,000 containers and they have only found about 1,300 minor violations and 40 major contaminants. The “oops” notes and information given to homeowners are helping fix the problem.
However, the enforcement has come with public comments and criticism, with the most common questions ABC 10News saw were about the cost.
When asked what he thought of the criticism such as “waste of taxpayer money” or “waste of funds,” Galasso said, “So, first and foremost it's actually a regulatory requirement. Every city across California has to do this because of SB 1383.”
He added, “Number 2: Our code officers are already in the field for various reasons … This is only a few hours in the morning. They get here, they get set up with their routes, they head out, they beat the trucks, then they go about their day. It's actually part of their jobs, it's in their respective zones. And 3, it's something that's benefiting all of us … At the end of the day, our goal is not to enforce, our goal is to educate and change behaviors.”
Jared asked, “How do you make sure you're doing that, this way of doing it is the most cost-effective way?”
“Regarding the most cost-effective way, it's what we have available to us right now. There are other cities across the state trying different tactics. But for us, being able to go out there, be in the zone, get the feedback, write it down, report it back to our education team, this is the best, most effective way of doing it,” Galasso replied.
Jared said to Galasso, “One comment asked, ‘If they’re not digging beyond the top level of the can, how do they know what's really in there?’”
Galasso responded, “So, unfortunately, because of safety reasons, we can't be digging in there … the good side of it is we're able to see, outside of the extremely filled containers; you can get a pretty good understanding of what's inside of your typical trash, recycling bin.”
More information on the city's trash regulations can be found at https://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/collection/general.
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