Powerful winter storm takes aim at Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Bay Area's sun-filled skies on Friday faded behind an atmospheric river. Forecasters said by Sunday the entire region will see rain.

"This is the calm before the storm, literally and figuratively," said Dr. Alison Bridger a professor in the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University. "We have a good rain system coming in. better than the one in October."

Pacific Gas and Electric is stockpiling equipment at strategic locations in preparation for days of rain.

"This adverse weather system has the potential to cause widespread outage activity. That’s why we are preparing," said Mayra Tostado, a spokeswoman for the utility.

She said thousands of workers are on-call. And large cachets of equipment including power poles, power lines, trucks, and transformers, are at the ready at multiple sites including one in South San Jose.

The Peninsula and North Bay could see the most repair activity.

"We have a storm prediction model that helps us determine where we may see the most impact. That’s why it’s important for us to do that ahead of time so that when the storm actually arrives, we have crews in the areas where they need to be," said Tostado.

Another concern for South Bay officials is some estimated 9,700 unhoused residents who have little protection from the elements.

"The people are not prepared, that live in the camps. And they don’t know these things are coming," said Pastor Scott Wagers of CHAM Deliverance Ministry.

Advocates like Wagers said they’ll be out over the weekend, delivering necessities to survive the storm. Sleeping bags, blankets, tarps, and rain gear are high on the need’s list.

"People got to survive the storm. And they’re stuff gets ruined during the storm," said Wagers. "It’s a bad situation, and we want to try to make it better for them."