San Francisco Bay Area weather: Storm knocks down trees and power, more rain in store
OAKLAND, Calif. - The storm system that rolled through on Sunday isn't done yet: The rain is expected to last through late Wednesday.
Meteorologists warned that moderate to heavy rain was expected on President's Day with the possibility of thunderstorms and landslides, although there were periods when the sun poked through as well. The strongest rain landed in late afternoon on Monday.
The Earth is already so wet, trees have also been falling throughout the Bay Area.
One such tree came down about 3 a.m. on Highway 13 in Oakland, which also sent one driver to the hospital, officials said.
Other trees came down on the North Bay, where power was also knocked out for some.
"We were reading in the living room…and then we saw some sparking," said Bonnie McDonell, who lost power Sunday when a large tree came down on power lines outside her home in Sebastopol.
Police quickly closed off a section of Hayden Avenue as crews worked to remove the tree and restore power to the neighborhood.
In Pittsburg, police were looking at whether the wet weather played a role in a driver slamming a car into a power pole at 2251 Harbor Street about 9 p.m. Sunday.
The collision took out power in the area for several hours.
Police closed streets in the area as a result.
And west of Sunol, the storm caused damage to Niles Canyon Road, a portion which will remain closed at least through Tuesday as crews repair a huge crack in the asphalt.
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Areas such as Santa Cruz in the south and the Sierra up north got socked in with weather, too.
In two days, areas in Santa Cruz have seen about five inches of rain and the ocean has been raging with dangerous waves.
And in Soda Springs, UC Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab at Soda Springs said Sunday morning it had 7.5 inches of snow at 8 a.m.
Several feet of snow is possible at elevations above about 6,800 feet across the Sierra Nevada, the weather service said. Motorists are urged to avoid mountain routes.
State Route 84 just east of Palomares in Alameda County is closed because of a crack in the road. Feb. 19, 2024. Photo: Caltrans