Remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel flooded Highway 101 near Carlsbad and dumped nearly twice the forecast rainfall on the city Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11.

The National Weather Service had predicted about 1 inch of rain for coastal cities. By 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Carlsbad had recorded 1.75 inches, the Wichita Eagle reported, citing NWS data. A three-day total through Monday reached 1.93 inches when a second, smaller system added to the tally, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The storm's outer bands surged ashore around 8 p.m. Saturday, earlier than anticipated. Surf peaked at 6 to 9 feet Sunday, and tides exceeded 7 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

At Tamarack State Beach, waves crashed over the rock barrier and washed across the parking lot, which had already been closed to vehicles since Labor Day weekend due to erosion. Longtime surfer Joe Bredenberg told CBS 8 he had never seen damage on that scale. "There's been times a lot of sand has been taken away during El Niño, but nothing like this in my 40 years," Bredenberg said.

The storm hit a coastline already under stress. Carlsbad declared a local emergency in September to expedite repairs where erosion threatened to undermine Carlsbad Boulevard near Palomar Airport Road, according to the Union-Tribune. Crews had begun placing boulders along the bluff base.

Jason Haber, the city's intergovernmental affairs director, warned on Oct. 5 that more damage was likely. "We've already seen significant erosion, and we anticipate more," Haber said at the time.

Across San Diego County, the storm triggered water rescues, power outages and dozens of traffic collisions. San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel responded to more than 50 collisions, five transformer fires and 17 reports of downed wires by Sunday morning, according to Deputy Fire Chief Dan Eddy.

The Coast Guard rescued a man from a sailboat that ran aground near Coronado around 4 a.m. Sunday after it began taking on water. A helicopter crew from Ventura lowered a rescue swimmer, who helped free the man from the cabin. He was transported for medical care around 7:15 a.m.

Paul Steward, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Union-Tribune the sea conditions ran higher than models projected. Steward said forecasters expected the storm itself but were surprised by the wave heights.

Forecasters are watching for a wet winter ahead. The NWS said an El Niño weather pattern is settling in, marked by warm sea surface temperatures.

A coastal flood advisory remained in effect through Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, with the NWS flagging a peak high tide between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday. The agency also cautioned residents to avoid ocean and bay water during rain and for 72 hours afterward because of elevated bacteria levels.

The City of Carlsbad advises residents to stay away from flooded areas, downed power lines and any zones closed by public safety personnel. Residents can sign up for AlertSanDiego for emergency notifications by phone, text and email.