Flood and Heavy Rain in California, July 22, 1997

Two rounds of very heavy thunderstorm rains, one in the morning, the other late in the day, resulted in flooding problems from the Morongo Valley, to the deserts of San Diego County. The hardest hit community was Desert Hot Springs, where nearly two inches of rain was reported during the morning hours. Many roads were closed due to the high water and mud flows. Several residents reported water in their homes along with washed out driveways. Also, an apartment complex was flooded with up to one foot of water. Elsewhere, morning rains flooded roads in Palm Springs, and mud flows closed Highway 62 in the Morongo Valley, and Box Canyon Road between Mecca and Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley. By late afternoon, intense thunderstorms developed over the deserts of San Diego County, flooding a 10 mile stretch of Yaqui Pass Road between Borrego Springs and Highway 78. Road crews were not able to reopen the road for traffic for three days due to mud and debris flows and pavement washouts. In addition to the flooding, lightning caused sporadic power and cable outages which affected thousands.