Bay Area storm: Nearly 400,000 without power as storm rolls through

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Widespread rain and howling winds greeted the Bay Area as another storm rolled through Sunday after first hitting the Bay Area on Saturday, causing hundreds of thousands of PG&E customers to lose power.

Over 320,000 customers are without power throughout the Bay Area. At 4 p.m., the San Francisco division had nearly 5,500 customers out of power. That number jumped to over 20,000 in a few hours.

In the North Bay, some customers saw their power restored and their numbers dropped from around 94,000 to almost 84,000.

Comparatively, nearly 107,000 customers are without power in the South Bay and nearly 36,000 in the East Bay. That’s down from earlier numbers of 140,000 in the North Bay and 54,000 in the East Bay.

The number of PG&E customers that have lost power in the Peninsula has dropped to around 74,000, down from 81,000.

San Francisco International Airport is experiencing several cancelations and delays, where a wind gust of 45 mph was reported.

According to SFO’s airport’s duty manager, they are experiencing 146 canceled flights and nearly 350 delays.

Oakland International Airport is reporting 29 delays in departures with three cancelations, compared to 28 delays in arrivals and four cancelations.

Trees fell on homes and cars. Heavy rains produced a landslide reported on a San Francisco hill. Power outages were widespread for PG&E customers, including downed power lines that led to the closure of a section of Highway 1.

Downed trees across tracks have disrupted service to Caltrain customers in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties Sunday afternoon and evening.

The north and southbound tracks 200 feet south of the San Antonio Station in Mountain View have halted service to that station as of 3:45 p.m. due to a downed tree.

In Burlingame, a second tree fell onto the tracks at around 5:36 p.m.

SamTrans is honoring Caltrain tickets in Burlingame and The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is also honoring Caltrain tickets for anyone wishing to go north or south of the San Antonio Station.

Caltrain said at 6 p.m. that it will be several hours before the trees can be completely removed.

The City of San Jose declared a state of emergency due to the weather.

The Guadalupe and San Lorenzo rivers were experiencing flooding in the South Bay. As a result, residents along Alma Avenue are being told to prepare to evacuate.

The San Jose Police Department used loudspeakers in the area to warn residents, many of whom are experiencing homelessness, to reach higher ground.

An evacuation center had been set up. In addition, an overnight warming center has been set up at Roosevelt Community Center.

The National Weather Service forecast the Guadalupe River to reach flood stage by 6 a.m. However, local officials said that pace has somewhat slowed for now. The river was expected to crest at 10 a.m. at around 11 feet.

The flood watch for the entire Bay Area goes until 10 a.m. Monday morning. Meanwhile, a wind advisory goes until 10 p.m. Sunday. Dangerous winds are seeing widespread gusts of up to 45 to 60 mph.

PG&E’s power outage map showed that service had been disrupted in many parts of its vast coverage area. Rohnert Park, Oakland and parts of the Monterey peninsula had some of the most customers without electricity early Sunday afternoon.

San Mateo County is getting hit especially hard. Residents are being warned to stay away from the coast. On Friday, the county was added to the state of emergency list for counties impacted by the storm. You can find information on where to find sandbags, here. Caltrans also announced that Highway 1 was closed near the San Mateo and Santa Cruz County lines because of downed power lines.

In Sonoma County, there are reports of downed trees across the county. As we’ve reported, the ground is saturated by the rain, making trees susceptible to toppling with relative ease from the strong winds.

In Santa Rosa, a tree came down on a vehicle, temporarily closing northbound Highway 101 at Todd Road. Officials are advising people to avoid unnecessary travel.

The city of Pacifica has opened its Community Center for people who have lost power, North County Fire Authority said at 6:35 p.m. Sunday.

The comfort center will offer power created by a generator for charging electronic devices. There will also be water and snacks.

The center is not a place to sleep, but residents are welcome to bring blankets, pillows and warm clothes for comfort, the fire department said.

The Pacifica Community Center is located at 540 Crespi Drive in Pacifica.

A landslide and hillside collapse in San Francisco was reported in addition to flooding at Market and 18th streets. The westbound direction of Market Street is blocked by fallen trees in that area as emergency crews are responding.

An emergency crew has also responded to flooding at Haight and Buchanan Streets. City officials advise you to avoid walking near trees, especially in parks.

Elsewhere in the city, Fillmore Street is obstructed in the Western Addition after a tree came down and toppled wires. Traffic lanes are blocked between Golden Gate Avenue and Turk Street.

Strong winds led to the cancelation of San Francisco Bay Ferry service, at least until the winds died down.

The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco half, 5K, and 10K marathons were all canceled.

California Highway Patrol issued an extreme wind advisory for the westbound Bay Bridge from the center anchorage to San Francisco. CHP advised box truck drivers to especially be careful due to the risk of overturning.

Alameda Firefighters were seen rescuing a man in a sailboat who was near the rocky shoreline.

As for the forecast, the temperature highs will be mostly in the 60s in the Bay Area. Overnight lows will be in the 40s on the coast, in the 50s around the bay and in the 40s inland.

Rain tapers off to scattered showers around noon before picking back up around 5 p.m.

Wind, high wind, and surf advisories are in effect until Sunday night for most of the Bay Area. Large breaking waves of 20–25 feet are expected with the accompanying high-surf advisory along the coast.

The flood watch is set to end on Monday with rain continuing into Monday.

KTVU’s Amanda Quintana, Tom Vacar, James Torrez and wire services contributed to this report.