Oct 20, 2009 12:00 am US/Pacific
Heavy Rain Brings Flooding To Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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A taxicab drives through standing water in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Rain falling in excess of an inch an hour in portions of the Bay Area on Monday afternoon triggered flooding that shut down some local roadways, disupted San Francisco Muni train service and prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Flood Advisory.
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Doppler radar showed the heaviest rainfall occured starting around 3:30 p.m., and by 4:15 p.m. the weather service had received numerous reports of flooding across the Bay Area.
The unexpected and sudden downpour left many roadways flooded, particularly in San Francisco.
As much as three feet of standing water containing raw sewage backed up along Folsom Street between 17th and 18th streets in the Mission District.
Firefighters evacuated about a dozen residential and commercial buildings on the block as hazardous materials crews worked to clean up the mess.
Near Fisherman's Wharf, water shot out of overwhelmed manholes at Powell and Francisco streets -- forcing tourists to flee.
Several on-ramps to Interstate Highway 280 in San Francisco were also closed, including the Mariposa Street, Sixth Street and King Street on-ramps.
In the East Bay, California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Cakebread said westbound Interstate Highway 80 near Gilman Street in Berkeley was particularly susceptible to flooding, as were portions of Interstate Highways 880 and 980 in Oakland.
"They've just had flooding all over the place," he said.
Several flooding-related crashes were also reported on Bay Area highways, but none were serious, police indicated.
The San Francisco Municipal Railway temporarily suspended light rail service between the Embarcadero and West Portal stations due to flooding at the Van Ness station.
Trains bypassed the Van Ness station until it reopened around 7:50 p.m., Muni spokesman Judson True said.
The weather affected a portion of the Powell-Mason Cable Car line too, taking it out of service.
The NWS issued a Flood Advisory for San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. It was in effect until 6:15 p.m., when forecasters said the rain had finally tapered off.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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