Original analysis of public NOAA and FEMA data, plus CAL FIRE
San Diego rain, flood and fire data
San Diego gets about 9.8 inches of rain in an average year, and half of it falls on about 6 days. That is why water damage here comes in bursts. Fire season fills the other half of the calendar. Here is the record by wet season and month, then by ZIP code.
Rain per wet season at the airport (inches, July to June)
Average rain by month (inches)
What we found
- A few days do most of the work. Over 1991-2020 the airport averaged 40 days a year with measurable rain, but only 6 with half an inch or more and 2.3 with an inch or more. Half the year's rain fell on about 6 days.
- The dry season is very dry. May through September brings 6% of the year's rain. In the median recent season the first half-inch day came around November 29, after five or more months of nothing much.
- Wild swings year to year. The wettest season on record here was 1940 to 1941, with 24.77 inches. The driest was 2001 to 2002, with 3.01. The last three seasons went 14.33, 4.6 and 10.62 inches.
- January 22, 2024 was the wettest day since 1939. 2.73 inches fell at the airport. The county recorded 213 federal flood insurance claims for 2024, with $19.9 million paid, more money than any other year on record. ZIP 92113, Logan Heights and Southcrest, has 102 claims since 2015.
- Most flooding is outside the mapped zones. 56% of paid flood claims in the county were on properties rated outside the high-risk A and V zones. 2,442 claims in all, $47.8 million paid, an average of $29,861 per paid claim.
- Fire season is long. CAL FIRE lists 216 San Diego County wildfires since 2013. 88% started between May and October. The largest was the Valley Fire in 2020, at 16,390 acres. FEMA has made 28 fire declarations for the county, 22 of them since 2003.
- 2026 so far: 10.62 inches in the season that ended in June, and 1.57 inches since July 1 through October 28, 2026, against 0.66 in an average year by that date.
Acres burned per year in San Diego County wildfires
San Diego County wildfires by month they started
Flood insurance claims per year, San Diego County
Wettest days at the airport
| Date | Rain |
|---|---|
| January 22, 2024 | 2.73 in |
| October 27, 2004 | 2.70 in |
| December 22, 1945 | 2.60 in |
| January 31, 1979 | 2.57 in |
| December 10, 1943 | 2.56 in |
| February 27, 2017 | 2.34 in |
| December 23, 1940 | 2.31 in |
| January 4, 1995 | 2.24 in |
| January 23, 1943 | 2.23 in |
| February 21, 2005 | 2.18 in |
NOAA ACIS daily precipitation, 1939 to 2026. The wettest three-day total was 4.79 inches, ending December 12, 1943.
Flood claims and housing by ZIP code
Flood insurance claims only count flood policies, so a ZIP code with few claims can still see plenty of plumbing and roof leaks. Housing age and the share of apartments and condos say more about those.
| ZIP | Area | NFIP claims | Since 2015 | Paid | Median year built | Built before 1980 | Renter occupied | In multi-unit buildings | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92014 | Del Mar | 139 | 10 | $1,404,657 | 1975 | 28% | 27% | 28% | 6,670 |
| 92109 | Pacific Beach and Mission Beach | 139 | 24 | $1,073,900 | 1973 | 41% | 69% | 60% | 26,774 |
| 92113 | Logan Heights and Southcrest | 125 | 102 | $10,510,913 | 1970 | 50% | 70% | 39% | 14,365 |
| 92054 | Oceanside (coast) | 120 | 10 | $1,843,052 | 1976 | 35% | 61% | 54% | 18,472 |
| 92037 | La Jolla | 109 | 37 | $1,746,572 | 1975 | 35% | 39% | 38% | 19,688 |
| 92064 | Poway | 104 | 21 | $987,250 | 1978 | 19% | 25% | 16% | 16,939 |
| 92120 | Del Cerro and Allied Gardens | 61 | 12 | $2,124,325 | 1973 | 43% | 35% | 34% | 13,189 |
| 91950 | National City | 55 | 36 | $4,107,639 | 1968 | 54% | 64% | 46% | 19,616 |
| 92108 | Mission Valley | 53 | 12 | $986,862 | 1998 | 6% | 72% | 87% | 14,927 |
| 92107 | Ocean Beach | 48 | 9 | $746,331 | 1963 | 59% | 62% | 46% | 14,853 |
| 92110 | Bay Park and Old Town | 45 | 11 | $1,607,104 | 1976 | 39% | 63% | 60% | 13,515 |
| 92071 | Santee | 44 | 2 | $187,461 | 1979 | 20% | 28% | 21% | 21,946 |
| 92008 | Carlsbad (village) | 41 | 1 | $100,781 | 1980 | 26% | 52% | 44% | 13,056 |
| 92024 | Encinitas | 40 | 10 | $480,436 | 1981 | 17% | 33% | 21% | 21,511 |
| 92021 | El Cajon (north) | 39 | 9 | $607,827 | 1977 | 32% | 46% | 35% | 23,734 |
| 92114 | Encanto and Skyline | 37 | 28 | $1,627,076 | 1972 | 47% | 30% | 12% | 18,819 |
| 92058 | Oceanside (Camp Pendleton side) | 35 | 4 | $455,405 | 1994 | 15% | 75% | 31% | 15,565 |
| 92118 | Coronado | 34 | 29 | $2,105,524 | 1974 | 38% | 45% | 42% | 9,896 |
| 92154 | Otay Mesa and Nestor | 34 | 5 | $583,588 | 1981 | 22% | 39% | 28% | 24,304 |
| 92026 | Escondido (north) | 33 | 6 | $215,939 | 1984 | 13% | 37% | 29% | 19,695 |
| 92020 | El Cajon | 31 | 5 | $75,287 | 1973 | 40% | 56% | 50% | 20,414 |
| 92027 | Escondido (east) | 28 | 5 | $46,244 | 1978 | 26% | 37% | 24% | 17,623 |
| 92115 | College Area | 27 | 18 | $1,756,720 | 1967 | 54% | 60% | 47% | 24,035 |
| 91942 | La Mesa | 24 | 7 | $333,808 | 1971 | 47% | 55% | 51% | 18,607 |
| 91910 | Chula Vista (west) | 19 | 3 | $193,416 | 1974 | 42% | 50% | 40% | 27,850 |
| 91941 | La Mesa (east) | 18 | 8 | $60,356 | 1969 | 51% | 33% | 24% | 13,184 |
| 92019 | El Cajon (east) | 18 | 9 | $357,370 | 1982 | 24% | 34% | 24% | 15,689 |
| 92102 | Golden Hill and Sherman Heights | 18 | 14 | $381,081 | 1963 | 55% | 67% | 48% | 15,669 |
| 92057 | Oceanside (north) | 16 | 1 | $22,678 | 1988 | 7% | 31% | 18% | 19,502 |
| 92105 | City Heights | 16 | 7 | $56,454 | 1971 | 48% | 67% | 50% | 23,944 |
| 92117 | Clairemont | 16 | 4 | $32,149 | 1965 | 63% | 44% | 29% | 21,789 |
| 92029 | Escondido (west) | 15 | 0 | $54,400 | 1985 | 15% | 27% | 19% | 8,066 |
| 92103 | Hillcrest and Mission Hills | 14 | 5 | $88,117 | 1974 | 45% | 65% | 68% | 21,746 |
| 92106 | Point Loma | 14 | 7 | $194,021 | 1958 | 67% | 39% | 25% | 8,062 |
| 92116 | Normal Heights and Kensington | 13 | 5 | $64,495 | 1968 | 53% | 68% | 60% | 18,081 |
| 92009 | Carlsbad (La Costa) | 12 | 6 | $44,515 | 1991 | 5% | 28% | 25% | 17,014 |
| 92056 | Oceanside (east) | 12 | 5 | $13,051 | 1986 | 9% | 32% | 23% | 20,678 |
| 92104 | North Park | 10 | 8 | $98,847 | 1972 | 47% | 71% | 62% | 25,064 |
| 92101 | Downtown | 9 | 3 | $302,465 | 2004 | 17% | 77% | 95% | 34,605 |
| 92025 | Escondido (south) | 8 | 3 | $165,875 | 1978 | 31% | 57% | 43% | 17,205 |
| 92128 | Rancho Bernardo | 8 | 3 | $43,159 | 1986 | 11% | 35% | 33% | 21,284 |
| 92126 | Mira Mesa | 7 | 4 | $5,359 | 1984 | 4% | 48% | 38% | 26,710 |
| 92111 | Linda Vista and Kearny Mesa | 6 | 2 | $25,132 | 1971 | 47% | 47% | 35% | 17,876 |
| 92122 | University City | 6 | 0 | $15,424 | 1986 | 17% | 66% | 68% | 21,546 |
| 91911 | Chula Vista (southwest) | 5 | 1 | $5,971 | 1971 | 48% | 48% | 35% | 27,366 |
| 92130 | Carmel Valley | 5 | 1 | $5,207 | 2001 | 2% | 38% | 32% | 23,735 |
| 92119 | San Carlos | 4 | 1 | $22,969 | 1969 | 55% | 31% | 29% | 9,814 |
| 92123 | Serra Mesa | 4 | 1 | $15,889 | 1977 | 41% | 56% | 46% | 13,363 |
| 92124 | Tierrasanta | 4 | 4 | $95,843 | 1981 | 8% | 54% | 31% | 12,309 |
| 92010 | Carlsbad (east) | 2 | 2 | $17,786 | 1992 | 4% | 36% | 23% | 7,219 |
| 92011 | Carlsbad (south) | 2 | 1 | $1,043 | 1994 | 3% | 36% | 25% | 10,025 |
| 92129 | Rancho Penasquitos | 2 | 0 | $0 | 1986 | 3% | 28% | 26% | 19,346 |
| 92131 | Scripps Ranch | 2 | 1 | $67 | 1993 | 1% | 20% | 20% | 13,512 |
| 91915 | Chula Vista (Eastlake south) | 1 | 1 | $0 | 2006 | 1% | 29% | 22% | 10,954 |
| 92127 | Rancho Bernardo west and Del Sur | 1 | 1 | $0 | 2003 | 3% | 27% | 26% | 16,996 |
| 92139 | Paradise Hills | 1 | 1 | $7,321 | 1979 | 30% | 42% | 20% | 10,642 |
| 91913 | Chula Vista (Otay Ranch) | 0 | 0 | $0 | 2005 | 4% | 30% | 26% | 18,058 |
| 91914 | Chula Vista (Eastlake) | 0 | 0 | $0 | 2004 | 2% | 20% | 5% | 4,929 |
| 92173 | San Ysidro | 0 | 0 | $0 | 1979 | 28% | 65% | 60% | 8,396 |
OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP redacted claims by reported ZIP code, all years. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area (B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035). Click a column to sort.
Largest county wildfires since 2013
| Fire | Started | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Valley Fire | September 5, 2020 | 16,390 |
| Pulgas Fire | May 15, 2014 | 14,416 |
| Border Fire | June 19, 2016 | 7,609 |
| Chariot Fire | July 6, 2013 | 7,055 |
| Border 2 Fire | January 23, 2025 | 6,625 |
| Tomahawk Fire | May 14, 2014 | 5,367 |
| Southern Fire | May 2, 2021 | 5,366 |
| Border 32 | August 31, 2022 | 4,456 |
| Lilac Fire | December 7, 2017 | 4,088 |
| Henderson Fire | October 15, 2026 | 3,260 |
CAL FIRE incident list, San Diego County. Earlier fires, like the Cedar Fire of 2003 and the Witch Fire of 2007, predate this list and appear in the FEMA declarations below.
Federal declarations for fires and floods
| Incident began | Event | Type | Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 21, 2024 | Severe Storm And Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| December 27, 2022 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Major disaster | Flood |
| September 4, 2020 | Wildfires | Major disaster | Fire |
| July 6, 2018 | West Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| December 7, 2017 | Lilac Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| December 4, 2017 | Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflows, And Debris Flows | Major disaster | Fire |
| January 18, 2017 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Major disaster | Flood |
| June 19, 2016 | Border 3 Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| May 14, 2014 | Poinsettia Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| May 14, 2014 | Cocos Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| September 23, 2012 | Shockey Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| December 17, 2010 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Debris And Mud Flows | Major disaster | Flood |
| October 22, 2007 | Witch Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 22, 2007 | Rice Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 21, 2007 | Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, And Debris Flows | Major disaster | Fire |
| October 21, 2007 | Harris Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| September 15, 2007 | Angel Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| January 11, 2007 | Severe Freeze | Major disaster | Freezing |
| July 24, 2006 | Horse Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 5, 2005 | Border # 50 Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| September 5, 2005 | Sundevil Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| February 16, 2005 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud And Debris Flows | Major disaster | Severe Storm |
| December 27, 2004 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, And Mudslides | Major disaster | Severe Storm |
| July 13, 2004 | Mataguay Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 26, 2003 | Paradise Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 25, 2003 | Cedar Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| October 21, 2003 | Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow And Debris Flow Directly Related T | Major disaster | Fire |
| July 29, 2002 | Pines Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| February 10, 2002 | Gavilan Fire | Fire management | Fire |
| February 2, 1998 | Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Major disaster | Severe Storm |
| February 13, 1995 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow | Major disaster | Severe Storm |
| January 3, 1995 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud Flows | Major disaster | Severe Storm |
| October 26, 1993 | Fires, Mud/Landslides, Flooding, Soil Erosion | Major disaster | Fire |
| January 5, 1993 | Severe Winter Storm, Mud & Land Slides, & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| December 19, 1990 | Severe Freeze | Major disaster | Freezing |
| January 17, 1988 | Severe Storms, High Tides & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| June 26, 1985 | Grass, Wildlands, & Forest Fires | Major disaster | Fire |
| January 21, 1983 | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes | Major disaster | Coastal Storm |
| January 8, 1980 | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| February 15, 1978 | Coastal Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| February 8, 1973 | Severe Storms, High Tides & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| September 29, 1970 | Forest & Brush Fires | Major disaster | Fire |
| January 2, 1967 | Severe Storms & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
| December 7, 1965 | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Major disaster | Flood |
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries for San Diego County: major disasters and fire management assistance declarations.
How we built this
Rain. Daily precipitation at San Diego International Airport, Lindbergh Field (GHCN USW00023188), from NOAA's Applied Climate Information System, July 1, 1939 to October 28, 2026. We group days into wet seasons from July 1 to June 30, labeled by the year they end, because San Diego's rain falls in winter and a calendar year splits one season in two. Seasons with more than ten missing days are left out, which leaves 87. "Half the year's rain" counts the fewest days whose totals add up to half the season.
Flood claims. OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP redacted claims for San Diego County (county code 06073), by year of loss and reported ZIP code. The data covers flood insurance only; most water damage inside homes comes from leaks and is never in it.
Wildfires. Every San Diego County incident on CAL FIRE's public incident list from 2013 on, excluding prescribed burns, with the acreage CAL FIRE reports. FEMA disaster and fire management declarations come from OpenFEMA.
Housing. US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area. "Multi-unit" counts homes in buildings with two or more units.
Limits. One rain gauge on the bay doesn't describe the whole county; the mountains and inland valleys get more rain, and the coast less in some storms. Use this to understand the area, not to judge a particular house.
Using this data. Feel free to quote or republish this data under CC BY 4.0, with a link to this page.