Latest storm brings flooding, power outages, damage to Bay Area

BAY AREA, Calif. (KTVU) - An overnight storm brought widespread rain to the Bay Area Monday morning and left behind quite a mess for clean-up crews.

Fremont police said Niles Canyon Road was closed due to rock slides. It has since reopened. 

Thousands of people were left in the dark by several weather-related power outages. 

One of the larger ones near the Oakland-Piedmont border affected about 500 customers Sunday night.  It was caused when a huge pine tree fell down onto some power lines.

“I was downstairs and there was a loud explosion,” one frightened resident told KTVU.    “We didn't know what happened and we had power lines in front of our house.  They said ‘Don’t come out you'll be electrocuted!”

As of 5:00am Monday, PG&E reported 24 active outages in the Bay Area with around 1,000 customers affected.

In Pacifica, large ocean waves pounding the seashore created a sinkhole that swallowed up part of the sidewalk north of the municipal pier.

City crews had to bring in backhoes to fill the sidewalk with boulders and more soil to try and prevent and further erosion.

KTVU meteorologist Steve Paulson, reports 1-3 inches of rain fell across the Bay Area from Sunday to Monday morning.

As a result small streams in the North Bay are running high and residents report the Russian River is beginning to get full.

Neighboring Lake County saw lots or rain in burn areas from this summer’s massive wildfires, however no major problems have been reported as a result.

This storm also brought some fresh snow to the Sierra, but only at higher elevations.  A winter storm warning is in place until 10:00am Monday morning.

Chain requirements are in place in both directions of Interstate 80 near the Donner summit and on Highway 50 near Echo summit.