Day Three Of Storms
The latest in a series of storm fronts hit the Bay Area early this morning, bringing thunderstorms, wind and the heaviest rain the region has seen yet this week, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather system sweeping through the area includes “quite a bit of instability,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Tentinger said. “That’s what’s firing off these thunderstorms that are embedded in the rainfall.”
Meteorologists were tracking thunderstorms that were moving through San Mateo and Monterey counties this morning and were reporting hail and high winds, with some gusts of more than 60 mph.
Tentinger said this morning’s stormy weather is subsiding, but that another, less severe front is poised to come ashore later today. As happened on Monday and Tuesday, skies will clear this afternoon but more rain and wind will roll in later in the day, he said.
“It’s more scattered in nature,” he said of the approaching front. “It’s not as widespread but will be able to produce some period of heavy rain.”
Since midnight, about one inch of rain has fallen in San Francisco, Tentinger said. The National Weather Service is keeping an eye on rivers and streams for possible flooding, he said.
Flight Delays At SFO
San Francisco International Airport is reporting weather-related flight delays of 15 to 45 minutes this morning.
Airport duty manager Bob Rotiski said the delays could lengthen and are expected to last throughout the day.
At Mineta San Jose International Airport, spokesman David Vossbrink reported strong winds and lots of rain but good visibility and no major delays.
Flights usually take off and land to the north due to prevailing winds, but this morning’s weather has caused airports to direct planes to the south instead, he said.
“During stormy conditions, winds turn around and come from the south,” he said.
The airport is advising passengers to check with their airlines for any weather-related schedule changes.
No delays were reported at Oakland International Airport.
United Airlines has issued a weather travel waiver for flights passing through Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento airports today. The waiver makes it easier for passengers to reschedule flights without a fee.
36,400 PG&E Customers Powerless
About 36,400 PG&E customers were without power late this morning as storms continued to pass through the Bay Area, a spokeswoman said.
More than half of these outages were in the South Bay, where 18,700 customers were affected, PG&E spokeswoman Katie Romans said.
As of 11:30 a.m., the utility was reporting 9,400 customers without power in the East Bay, 3,600 on the Peninsula, 2,800 in the North Bay and 1,900 in San Francisco.
PG&E brought in additional contract crews and mutual aid crews from other agencies to help address storm-related outages, Romans said.
“These are pretty strong storms and we expect them to continue throughout the week,” she said. “As the weather is moving, so are the outages.”
SF Zoo Closed Today
The San Francisco Zoo is closed today for the second day in a row due to the storms that have drenched the Bay Area this week, a zoo spokeswoman said.
The zoo has not experienced any serious damage related to the storm, but there has been flooding and tree limbs have cracked and fallen, spokeswoman Gwendolyn Tornatore said.
It has not yet been decided whether the zoo will be open Thursday, Tornatore said.
Tree Closes Treasure Island Off Ramp
A tree has fallen onto the Treasure Island off-ramp from eastbound Interstate Highway 80 on the Bay Bridge, causing a traffic backup, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
The tree fell at about 8:15 a.m., partially blocking the off-ramp, CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said. No one was injured.
Crews are working to remove the tree from the roadway.As PG&E crews work to restore power to customers across the Bay Area, this morning’s rough weather is causing additional outages.
