BlockBefore

Sorrento, California

35 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the San Diego census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92121. It lies near Los Peñasquitos Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Del Mar quadrangle.

Sorrento within San Diego County

Then and now

1903 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 91 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Sorrento, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Sorrento, surveyed 1903

Compare 1903 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 35 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

80 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 80 fires within 5 miles of Sorrento between 2005 and 2020, burning about 134 acres in total. None started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined43
Arson/incendiarism14
Debris and open burning7
Equipment and vehicle use7
Smoking6
Misuse of fire by a minor3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 2009Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
4 September 2005Debris and open burningunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
30 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
30 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
27 September 2005Debris and open burningunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
23 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
20 September 2006Debris and open burningunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
8 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in San Diego County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Sorrento: 11 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
La Jolla Clay Products Co.ClayPast ProducerSedimentary
La Jolla Clay Products Co.ClayPast Producer
Linda Vista MineClayPast Producer
Sorrento Brick and Clay Prod.ClayPast Producer
Union Brick Co. Mine, North PitClayPast Producer
Borrow PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Carrol Canyon PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sorrento Sand Co DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Sorrento Sand Co.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sorrento Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in San Diego County

Storms near this place

15 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sorrento in 15 storm reports between 2002 and 2026: 7 flash flood, 4 flood, 1 wildfire, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
January 2016Thunderstorm WindSorrento$50,000A roof collapsed at the FedEx building in Miramar.
November 2019Flash FloodSorrento$30,000Driver was rescued from his BMW after driving through 2 feet of water in Sorrento Valley. The vehicle was a total loss.
January 2016Flash FloodSorrento$25,000CHP reported the northbound off-ramp from Interstate 5 to Grand Avenue was closed due to severe flooding, as well as the Genesee Avenue off-ramp from Interstate 5 was flooded with several cars stuck. TV media reported a sinkhole at the end of Avenida de la Playa in la Jolla as a result of the heavy rain. A little further south the public reported 6-12 of water flowing down Newport Avenue, over the sidewalks with minor flooding of local businesses in Ocean Beach. The public reported Ward Road in Mission Valley was flooded with several cars submerged. Nine high water rescues were performed in the greater San Diego area on January 6th.
January 2017Flash FloodSorrento$15,000Rapid water rises after 1500PST flooded parts of Carroll Canyon Rd with 1-2 ft of rushing water. The flow carried dumpsters and debris. Three people were trapped in their vehicle that stalled as the water rose rapidly, resulting in multiple swift water rescues around 1530PST.
February 2017FloodSorrento$10,000Flooding submerged two cars along Surrento Valley Rd. and Roselle St.
July 2015Flash FloodSorrento$10,000CHP reported vehicles stranded in water at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Genesee on-ramp.
February 2002WildfireSorrento$10,000no account filed
January 2026FloodSorrento-Flooding on the I-5 on ramp from Sorrento Valley Rd.
March 2025Flash FloodSorrento-Four vehicles submerged in water up to the windows. Lifeguards rescued several. Rainfall rate as high as 1.1 inch in 1 hour. La Jolla Village and Villa La Jolla Drive.
March 2025Flash FloodSorrento-Corrects time for previous flash flood report from 6 NNE of Mission Beach. 4 vehicles submerged in water up to the windows. Lifeguards rescued several. Rainfall rate as high as 1.1 inch in 1 hour. La Jolla Village and Villa La Jolla Drive.
March 2025Flash FloodSorrento-Carroll Canyon Road and Pacific Heights Boulevard. 2 vehicles submerged in water, rescued by lifeguard boat. GW3482 weather station recorded 1.22 inches between 8 and 9 pm. Other stations recorded 1.07 and 1.16 inches. Miramar MCAS recorded 0.99 inches.
March 2023FloodSorrento-The off-ramp on I-5 North at La Jolla Village Drive was flooded. About 0.65 inch of rain fell in the previous 6 hours.
March 2022Heavy RainSorrento-A crash occurred around 1 AM in the University City area of San Diego. Just before the crash at 12:55 AM, the Miramar MCAS ASOS KNKX (2-3 SM NE of crash) reported light rain and mist with a visibility of 2.5 miles. Light rain turned heavier after 1 AM with reduced visibility as low as 1.5 miles. All southbound lanes of I-805 were shut down from 1 AM - 8 AM, when two lanes were reopened to southbound drivers. Driver appeared to avoid serious injury but the truck burst into flames and firefighters were dispatched.
December 2018FloodSorrento-Broadcast media reported flooding in Sorrento Valley caused road closure on Carmel Valley Road.
June 2009HailSorrento-Quarter-sized hail was reported in Del Mar Heights and Carmel Valley by the public in newspapers and on several websites. Exact locations and times were not reported, so storm track was based on radar data.

Every storm recorded in San Diego County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Linda Vista (historical)3.0 miles35
Selwyn (historical)3.1 miles34
University City3.3 miles34
La Jolla Shores3.5 miles23
Del Mar Heights3.8 miles22
Mira Mesa4.3 miles35
Easter Cross4.4 miles34
Elvira (historical)4.4 miles34

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1656634. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.