San Jose city officials Saturday declared a local emergency over flooding expected early Sunday morning, with concerns focused on the Guadalupe River and homeless people, but neighborhoods are also at risk.
“We may see flooding in some areas along the Guadalupe and potentially other waterways,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said Saturday night at an outdoor press conference in the rain. “If you live along the Guadalupe River in particular it’s possible you’ll have some street-level flooding.”
Torrential rainfall expected to hit the Santa Cruz Mountains will fill creeks that feed into the Guadalupe River and likely push it into flood stage as early as 5 a.m. Sunday, with the river surging to a peak height around 10 a.m., San Jose officials said.
The National Weather Service forecast the Guadalupe River to reach “moderate” flood stage, about two feet above the level considered a flood.
Most at risk of flooding is the area around West Alma Avenue and the Guadalupe River, including the San Jose Elks Lodge, northward along Lelong Street to the intersection with the Guadalupe Parkway off-ramp, and neighborhoods around Minnesota Avenue, Belmont Avenue and Belmont Way, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Also in potential jeopardy are the Northern Cross neighborhood and Thousand Oaks Park, both beside the Guadalupe River, but flooding in those areas is less likely, said Santa Clara Valley Water District spokesman Matt Keller.