Ski gear and windshield wipers moving with latest storm
SAN FRANCISCO - Rain returned to the Bay Area Wednesday, making for slick streets.
Windshield wipers are flying off shelves, but this latest round of wet weather is great news for skiers headed up to Tahoe.
Heavenly Ski Resort posted on social media that they have crews making their own snow and there is natural snow in the forecast.
Drivers are finding it easier to get there and back this year, which was not the case last winter.
"Weather was nice, a little bit of snow overnight but nothing that caused any real traffic," Alan Seefeldt told KTVU after returning from Tahoe to Berkeley.
Ski shops like Sports Basement in Berkeley are getting snowboarders ready to hit the slopes.
"I’m super stoked," Paris Wickliff said while having his board worked on. "It’s one of those things that gets more and more addicting as you get better, I guess, the adrenaline rush."
Ski gear rentals are a hot commodity right now.
The team at Sports Basement smooths out skis on a grinder and applies hot wax to snowboards.
"Couple of my friends go up there, couple times a year, and they said you better have your board waxed cause I don’t want you to be a slow one," snowboarder Kieron Slaughter said. "So, I don’t want to hold up the crew."
Nick Byrne rented skis for the family.
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Rain rolls through the Bay Area
Wet and windy weather returned to the Bay Area on Tuesday afternoon, with conditions expected to last through the evening.
"Hoping to get up for the first time this season and hopefully hit some fresh powder and, if not, at least get our skis broken in," Byrne said.
His nephew is hoping to avoid another wipe out.
"It’s kind of hard, yeah, embarrassing, its cold," Hayden Gonzborger said with a laugh.
In San Rafael, O’Reilly Auto Parts is selling about 40 sets of windshield wipers a day.
"Pretty busy this season," O’Reilly Auto Parts employee Luis Morell said. "Last couple weeks, it was a lot of sales of wipers."
The rain and wind combination has PG&E crews on standby, ready to respond to power outages from fallen trees, according to spokesperson Megan McFarland.
There’s a High Surf Advisory going into effect at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, with large waves expected along the coast.