Jan 5, 2008 12:03 am US/Pacific
Fiercest Storm In Over 5 Years Hits Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A fierce arctic storm system -- the strongest in over five years -- played havoc on Northern California Friday by pummeling the region with heavy rain and hurricane-force wind that toppled trees onto houses, flipped big rigs and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands.
"The combined data of rainfall rate, totals and wind makes this the strongest storm since December 16, 2002 and only the 12th storm since 1950," said CBS 5 forecaster Roberta Gonzales, citing the Bay Area Storm Index.
National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson agreed: "This is the monster storm, the second of three."
Winds up to 107 mph were recorded on Kregor Peak near Clayton, 83 mph on Big Rock in Marin County, 76 mph on Angel Island, 71 mph on Mt. Diablo and 70 mph on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the Weather Service.
The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was closed to traffic in both directions for six hours because of the lashing wind gusts which blew over five big-rigs, according to the California Highway Patrol. The bridge finally reopened in time for the evening rush hour.
"(The wind) blew it across all lanes from one side of the bridge to the other side, and the only thing that stopped it was the guardrail," said witness Paul Ford, who saw a big rig driving in front of him overturn on the bridge.
Numerous highways in the Bay Area were closed at times because of debris or toppled big rigs blocking lanes and some other local roadways were flooded or impacted by slides. Alameda Harbor Bay and Golden Gate ferry services were interrupted, as well.
The CHP cautioned drivers and encouraged them to stay off the roads throughout the day because of the amount of weather-related crashes and hazards.
"It isn't the weather that causes these collisions, it's the way people drive in them," said CHP Sgt. Les Bishop. "It's no secret that we've got a major
storm and it's everybody's responsibility to drive in a safe manner."
The NWS said high wind, coastal flood and high surf warnings were all in effect for the Bay Area.
The costal flood warning is in effect from 6:00 a.m. until Noon on Saturday for the possibility of costal flooding during the high tide, which will occur at 8:00 a.m. The high surf warning covers the coast from Sonoma to Monterey County until 10:00 a.m. Sunday. Residents of coastal areas are advised to take action to protect property.
Over the 24 hour period that ended Friday afternoon, San Francisco received 2.00 inches, while San Francisco International Airport recieved 2.15 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
In the North Bay, Santa Rosa received 2.27 inches, while Napa received 4.33 inches. In the East Bay, 3.24 inches fell in Concord, while Fremont received 1.10 inches. In Santa Clara County, Gilroy received 1.54 inches, Moffett Field 2.06 inches.
In the Santa Cruz Mountains, Weather Service spotters reported a rainfall rate of up to two inches per hour; the Loma Prieta area saw a total of 10 inches, with Mt. Umunhum received 10.63 inches of rain. The heavy rain prompted a widespread flash flood warning for Santa Cruz and Monterrey counties.
"(The warning) is basically for drivers. Don't drive into flooded areas," said Monterey County Office of Emergency Services spokesman Dave Leist.
Six inches of water is enough to move a car and drivers should drive away from any flooded bridges or intersections, he warned.
San Jose firefighters conducted four water rescues in connection with the storm; officials said at least three of the rescues were from the Guadalupe River.
To the north in Sonoma County, firefighters said a 200-foot fir tree toppled onto four houses in the small community of Camp Meeker. Fortunately, authorities said no injuries were reported.
Pacific Gas and Electric said 1.26 million homes and businesses in Northern California -- over a half million of them in the Bay Area -- lost electricity after fell trees brought down transformers and power lines.
The worst outages occurred along the Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, PG&E said. In all, the utility said 19 miles of power lines, 52 poles and 50 transformers were damaged by the storm.
Crews were working to restore power, but it could be days before all the lights are back on, PG&E spokeswoman Darlene Chiu said.
"Because of the strong winds and heavy rains, restoration is taking longer than normal," said Chiu.
Downed electrical wires can be reported by calling PG&E's hot line at (800) PGE-5002. That number can also be used by customers to obtain information about outages in their areas, officials said.
The shear force of the wind caused over 40 flight cancellations at San Francisco International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said many other flights at SFO were delayed for 2 to 3 hours.
Airports in Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento also reported flight delays and/or cancellations due to the weather.
The U.S. Coast Guard warned boaters to stay in port along the coast as seas reached 20 to 24 feet by afternoon.
Homeowners rushed to stack sandbags around houses in flood prone parts of the Bay Area, but as of the evening there were no reports of major flooding.
Officials from the Santa Clara Valley Water District carefully watched Ross Creek, which runs through Los Gatos and San Jose's Cambrian neighborhood. The creek level rose steadily as the storm progressed.
"We expect to have some localized flooding in that area," district spokeswoman Susan Siravo said.
As of 6 p.m. Friday, the wind and rain had somewhat let up. The rains were expected to taper off overnight, with only scattered showers expected on Saturday. One more storm, a much weaker system, was expected to pass over the region early Sunday.
"The last one due in on Sunday morning will be quite tame comparatively," said NWS spokesman Bob Benjamin. "That storm will be like a speed bump compared to (Friday's storm)."
When the third storm passes, the greater Bay Area will have received about 3 to 5 inches of rain total, and 6 to 10 inches in the nearby mountains, according to Benjamin.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
