Wind advisory for parts of the Bay Area to last until Thursday
OAKLAND, Calif. - Strong winds are expected through most of the Bay Area this week, starting to pick up Tuesday night and lasting through Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a high-wind warning for the North Bay mountains. In the higher elevations, they could see over 70 mile per hour winds. Three separate wind advisories are also in place.
A PG&E spokesperson said crews are prepared to see the most impact in the East Bay, North Bay and Santa Cruz mountains. Crews from other areas across the state are being called in to help.
"We are anticipating gusts that are to a level that can start breaking limbs off of trees, even uprooting or knocking over healthy trees – things that can lead to power outages, even downed lines," said Tamar Sarkissian, a PG&E spokesperson for the East Bay.
She said customers should have a plan and know what to do if their power goes out.
"So having a flashlight with fresh batteries, if your power does go out you can unplug your appliances but leave one lamp on so you know when the power comes back on. Also think about charging your phones," said Sarkissian.
There were power outages and broken tree limbs. Outages along the Peninsula affected as many as 7,000 PG&E customers Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday afternoon, high winds caused a large tree branch to fall on two Martin Murphy Middle School students in San Jose. They were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
"It’s a pretty windy day and a lot of things are flying around, branches going all over the place," said Paula Vasquez, a parent at the school.
In Oakland, the Boys and Girls Clubs are still trying to recover from one of the Bay Area's last wind advisories almost two weeks ago.
Overnight on Jan. 21, high winds took out a piece of the club's roof.
"We’re looking, starting at a price point of $57,000 worth of damage done by the wind," said Calvester Stanley, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oakland.
Stanley worries as the club tries to get it fixed, even more damage could happen with this storm.
"We always worry about the clubs. Now with a hole on the roof, you know, I’m not sure how much damage could be done to the roof . But you know there was no damage previously, so the wind might tear something else up," said Stanley.
The National Weather Service is advising people secure loose outdoor objects and be prepared for downed trees, especially on the roadways.