Storms knock down trees throughout San Diego

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The storms hit and the winds howled this weekend as some massive trees across the city smashed to the ground, including a couple massive eucalyptus trees in Balboa Park.

“When you have rainy conditions, windy, stormy conditions, trees will come down,” said Bradley Brown, Board Certified Master Arborist with Tree Life Consulting. “That’s part of the risk that’s inherent in them. They stand up and they fall down.”

The powerful storm on Saturday roared through San Diego County and a large eucalyptus tree crushed a row of six cars in Balboa Park. Cars were damaged, but no one was hurt in the incident.

“Anything can happen and it might not just be a limb falling,” said Brown. “It could be a wire falling, you don’t know.”

Brown told KUSI Reporter Dani Ruberti he found a damaged tree in Balboa Park the other day. He said it looked like the fierce winds knocked out the upper part of it sending large branches to the ground.

Just in University City, another large tree smashed an SUV.

Arborists said it’s the combination of rain, the saturated soil and the strong gusty winds that can cause this kind of damage.

Crews were hard a work cleaning up the pieces of another 80 ft eucalyptus tree that crashed down in the middle of the golf course in Balboa Park.

“Sometimes its not always the ones we predict or the ones we would expect,” said Brown.

He added there are things you can do at home to determine the health of your trees.

“Are the roots talking to the leaves and if the roots aren’t talking to the leaves then it might not be very well anchored in the ground,” said Brown.

It’s all about the health of the root system. Keep an eye on loose, hanging branches, cracks in the tree or soil, and the size of the branches compared to the size of the trunk.

Anthony Santacroce with the City of San Diego said they’re on standby to clean up the pieces and protect the community when these storms hit.

“Maintain your trees year round. Check that they are in good condition,” said Anthony Santacroce, Senior Public Information Officer with the City of San Diego. “If trees on your property are dead and you see signs of that, I would call a professional to evaluate that.”

Brown said folks should not be afraid because the chances of being hit by a tree are so small, but you should still be aware of your surroundings and avoid trees that look dangerous during stormy conditions.

“There’s more risks of them getting in their car and getting injured in their car every day than there is being around a tree,” said Brown. “They’re more likely to get hit by lightning.”

If you see any trees around the city that look dangerous or threatening, contact the City of San Diego through the Get It Done app.