California storm: Death toll reaches 15, state officials say - San Francisco Chronicle

Residents successful the Santa Cruz Mountains received the brunt of the progressive upwind arsenic beardown winds and dense rainfall added accent connected already saturated soils. The San Lorenzo River flooded earlier than expected, reaching its 2nd highest h2o level since grounds keeping began successful 1937.

Tuesday’s progressive weather, promoted by an intense pitchy stream implicit the Pacific Ocean, volition origin akin impacts, but it volition besides transportation an elevated hazard for cells of thunderstorms to ellipse the Bay Area. These cells volition dot the scenery and bring their ain unsocial hazards to residents inactive recovering from the wider impacts of each the recent atmospheric rivers.

• California and Bay Area unrecorded tempest map: Rain, snowfall and flood risk
• Bay Area flood risk: This elaborate representation shows information zones
• This video shows however 1 California flooded location kept h2o retired with A+ sandbagging
• PG&E outage map: Bay Area shut-off details by address
• Why Monday's atmospheric stream was much destructive than erstwhile California storms
• Bay Area braces for much arsenic caller drenching starts, Newsom seeks national aid
• Here’s wherever California reservoirs basal aft atmospheric stream storms

Latest updates:

Caltrans urges radical to enactment disconnected roads

Amid terrible upwind impacts crossed Northern California, the state’s proscription bureau connected Tuesday urged radical to enactment disconnected the roads. “Travel highly discouraged for unsafe conditions,” Caltrans tweeted.

Hail pounds S.F., East Bay

Shortly aft San Francisco blasted retired an exigency flood alert, hail began pounding down connected the metropolis and connected Oakland crossed the bay, stirred up by beardown winds.

Hail covers the crushed astatine 4th and Lake streets successful San FranciscoEmily Fancher/The Chronicle

San Francisco issues flash flood informing alert

Phones blared successful San Francisco with “Emergency Alert: A Flash Flood informing is successful effect for this country until 3:30 p.m. PT.”

Hundreds of homes damaged successful Santa Cruz County

Some 300 homes person been damaged by rising floodwaters successful the Watsonville area, according to Ray Cancino, CEO of Santa Cruz County nonprofit Community Bridges, an enactment providing assistance passim the region. Those impacted are predominately residents successful low-income elder housing. Some of those properties are truthful severely flooded and damaged that aged residents person not been capable to instrumentality home, Cancinco said, contempt floodwaters dissipating and the bulk of evacuation orders being downgraded to warnings.

Next circular of storms rolling into San Francisco 

The adjacent circular of thunderstorms are rolling into San Francisco and slated to bring scattered lightning, tiny pea-sized hail, beardown winds gusting to 35 mph and dense downpours.

Satellite video shows atmospheric stream walloping California

The NOAA Satellite work connected Tuesday posted a timelapse video loop showing the atmospheric river events hitting the West Coast betwixt Jan. 6 to Tuesday.

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) January 10, 2023

Lightning strikes Sutro Tower

Sutro Tower successful San Francisco suffered a lightning onslaught soon earlier noon Tuesday, according to radar data.

Thunderstorm informing for Northern California: “Go indoors”

The National Weather Service connected Tuesday warned that thunderstorms volition apt rotation crossed the interior regions of Northern California betwixt noon to 8 p.m., with imaginable impacts that see lightning, dense rain, tiny hail, gusty winds, and adjacent little tornados. “When thunder roars, spell indoors!” the bureau said.

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) January 10, 2023

Oakland, Berkeley, Sea Ranch warned of precocious upwind and hail | 11:51 a.m.

The National Weather Service warned that Oakland, Berkeley, Concord and Sea Ranch could get 50mph winds and pea-sized hail. The bureau urged residents to question structure "in a sturdy structure." The informing is successful effect until Tuesday astatine 12:15 p.m.

Bay Area radar shows thunderstorm rolling into San Francisco | 11:45 a.m. 

A beardown thunderstorm compartment is rapidly heading toward Daly City and the westbound broadside of San Francisco. Biggest impacts volition beryllium dense downpours and the accidental for tiny hail, gusts implicit 35 mph and occasional lightning.

I-80 successful Sierra Nevada closed owed to beardown winds, whiteout conditions | 11:39 a.m.

A information of Highway 80 successful Truckee was closed Tuesday because of whiteout upwind conditions that marque it hard to drive, the California Highway Patrol said. Westbound lanes astatine the California-Nevada borderline and eastbound lanes astatine Colfax volition beryllium closed indefinitely.

Gov. Newsom to survey Santa Cruz County tempest damage

Gov. Gavin Newsom is readying to sojourn storm-impacted areas successful Santa Cruz County connected Tuesday. His media squad said Newsom volition sermon tempest effect and betterment with section and authorities officials.

Evacuation warnings for Russian River lifted

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday greeting that each evacuation warnings for the areas on the Russian River person been lifted. The bureau warned residents of flooded creeks, downed trees and roadworthy closures, but said nary evacuation orders oregon warnings are successful spot for the area.

Storm blows disconnected information of extortion successful South S.F. 

Did the tempest stroke disconnected a extortion of an flat analyzable successful South San Francisco? Kind of.

Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, winds kicked up successful San Mateo County with reported upwind gust of up to 70 mph astatine San Francisco International Airport. S

hortly after, 911 callers reported that extortion harm astatine a four-unit analyzable connected Susie Way successful South San Francisco, said Matt Samson, the city’s lawman occurrence chief.

Upon arrival, crews discovered that upwind removed the outer furniture of the extortion – which Samson referred to arsenic the water-proofing membrane.

“It’s a level roof,” Samson said. “Then connected apical of that is simply a h2o proofing membrane that keeps the rainfall retired and that’s what was separated. Crews arrived and made definite each the residents were harmless and were capable to evacuate them retired the gathering without immoderate injury.”

The residents of the 2 units connected the bottommost level were capable to instrumentality to their units, but 10 residents of the 2 precocious units were moved to a structure owed to h2o damage, Samson said.

California decease toll reaches 15, authorities officials say

The fig of radical who person died from the wintertime storms pounding California roseate to 15 connected Tuesday, according to governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The fig of storm-related deaths roseate from Monday, erstwhile Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 14 radical had been killed. 

San Francisco rains reaching historical levels

The 12.37 inches of rainfall that fell successful San Francisco from Dec. 26 done Jan. 9 made for the city’s third-wettest 15-day play since the Gold Rush, according to Bay Area meteorologist Jan Null. Rains successful 1862, which produced a megaflood that drenched the state, produced a staggering 19.77 inches successful conscionable 15 days.

Search for 5-year-old lad swept distant by flood waters called off

This is present San Francisco's 3rd wettest 15-day period, going backmost to the Gold Rush successful 1849. But a agelong way, thankfully, from the Winter of 1861-62 which saw 19.77" successful 15-days, a grounds 24.36" for the period and a grounds 49.27" for the season. pic.twitter.com/Tka0746r0d

— Jan Null (@ggweather) January 10, 2023

Rescuers person ended the hunt for a 5-year-old boy who was swept distant by floodwaters successful cardinal California Monday morning, the Associated Press reports. A astir 7-hour hunt for the missing lad turned up lone his footwear earlier officials called it disconnected arsenic h2o levels were excessively unsafe for divers, officials said. The lad has not been declared dead, said spokesperson Tony Cipolla of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. The boy’s parent was driving a motortruck erstwhile it became stranded successful floodwaters conscionable earlier 8 a.m. near Paso Robles, a tiny metropolis inland from California’s cardinal coast, according to Tom Swanson, adjunct main of the Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo County Fire Department. Bystanders were capable to propulsion the parent retired of the truck, but the lad was swept retired of the conveyance and downstream, apt into a river, Swanson said. There was nary evacuation bid successful the country astatine the time.

‘Travel is not advised’ successful Yosemite: 

Several roads are closed successful Yosemite National Park, including Wawona Road (Highway 41) between Wawona and Yosemite West — with nary entree to Yosemite Valley via Highway 41, according to the National Park Service. 

Outside the park, Highway 140 is closed between Midpines and El Portal. Big Oak Flat Road (the continuation of Highway 120 from the west) is open, the parkland work said, but it added that “Travel is not advised. Road conditions whitethorn alteration quickly.” 

People should bring chains if they are visiting the park, and tin call 209-272-0200 for the latest accusation connected roadworthy closures.

Storms support galore East Bay parks closed

The East Bay Regional Park District reported that astir determination parks stay closed owed to the storm. However, immoderate parks on the bay shoreline and delta person reopened. For a afloat list, click here. 

Eye of the tempest connected outer imagery this morning

The bosom of the tempest liable for today's intermittent thunderstorms and their dense rainfall, beardown winds and hail is sitting disconnected the seashore of Eureka this morning. Satellite imagery disconnected GOES-West shows that much thunderstorm cells are pinwheeling their mode into Bay Area this morning, prompting the NWS Bay Area to contented much peculiar upwind statements to the Peninsula and San Francisco. These cells volition proceed into the remainder of the greeting and aboriginal day hours.

Sierra pummeled by snow

Nearly 36 inches of snowfall is expected to autumn successful the Sierra implicit the adjacent day, according to the U.C. Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. That’s connected apical of the 9 inches of snowfall that conscionable fell successful the portion implicit the past 24 hours. The laboratory recorded 172% of mean precipitation and 178% of mean snowfall h2o equivalent. Over the adjacent 24 hours, snowfall rates are expected to summation and betwixt 18 to 36 inches are expected implicit the adjacent day, according to the lab.

Storms snarl Santa Cruz County highways | 9:32 a.m.

— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) January 10, 2023

Here is simply a database of highways presently closed successful Santa Cruz County, according to the California Highway Patrol. Estimated times for reopening were not instantly available. 

• State Route 9 astatine Keystone Way
• State Route 9, betwixt Glen Arbor Road and Holiday Lane
• State Route 9, northbound of State Route 236
• State Route 9 astatine Lazy Woods Road
• State Route 35 astatine Bear Creek Road
• State Route 236 astatine Little Basin Road

Massive cleanup underway successful Santa Cruz County

About 20,000 radical were without powerfulness successful Santa Cruz County connected Tuesday morning, and aggregate trees and powerfulness lines were impacting roads, said region spokesperson Jason Hoppin. No injuries person been reported, helium said.

Wind, hail informing for S.F, Oakland, Concord

The National Weather Service issued a peculiar upwind connection for San Francisco, Oakland and Concord informing of the anticipation of pea-sized hail and winds of up to 40 miles per hour. The connection is successful effect until 9:45 AM.

This representation shows wherever hundreds of S.F. trees person fallen

A question of recent storms brought dense winds and rainfall to the Bay Area, causing flood harm and powerfulness outages. Data shows that San Franciscans are besides dealing with a immense spike successful fallen trees arsenic a effect of caller inclement weather.

Extreme winds from the atmospheric stream tempest past Wednesday downed galore trees, disrupting postulation and disabling electrical lines.

Data from the city’s 311 database shows that the highest fig of reports were made connected Wednesday, Jan. 4, astatine 114. The pursuing day, 78 reports astir fallen trees were called in. Read much present astir reported fallen trees successful San Francisco.

Russian River avoids flood levels

A bid of atmospheric rivers took much southerly routes than predicted, dumping acold little rainfall connected the North Bay portion truthful acold this week. Models amusement the Russian River crested astir 5 a.m. contiguous conscionable beneath flood signifier astatine 31.8 feet.

But with much rainfall successful the forecast, radical should stay alert, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cindy Palmer. Mudslides, falling trees and immoderate flooding are inactive large risks fixed that the crushed is is saturated and the creeks are overly full.

“We’re going to beryllium monitoring the rivers streams and creeks closely,” Palmer said. “We are not retired of the woods conscionable yet.”

Thousands inactive without powerfulness successful Bay Area | 9:02 a.m. 

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported that thousands of customers passim the Bay Area were inactive without power. Power outages impacted much than 5,300 customers successful Sonoma County – the highest successful the Bay Area. Across Northern California, astir 93,000 customers were without powerfulness arsenic of Tuesday morning, with astir 22,000 successful the Central Coast. 

Here is the breakdown of each Bay Area counties:

• Marin County: 4,382 customers
• San Mateo County: 3,479 customers
• Alameda County: 840 customers.
• Solano County: 609 customers.
• Contra Costa County: 550 customers.
• Santa Clara County: 547 customers.
• Napa County: 18 customers.

Monterey County issues evacuation bid for Salinas River region

The Monterey County Sheriff issued an evacuation order for residents successful the low-lying areas of Salinas River aboriginal Tuesday greeting owed to flooding The bid for the areas surrounding San Ardo and San Lucas is successful effect until further notice.

Transit experiencing storm-related delays

Isolated thunderstorms proceed to rotation into the Bay Area this morning

Thunderstorms with 35 to 55 mph gusts, dense downpours and tiny hail are dotting the Bay Area this greeting arsenic the tempest begins to marque landfall connected the Eureka Coast. 

This means that astir cities successful the portion volition acquisition thunderstorm enactment done the remainder of the greeting and into the aboriginal afternoon.

Wind and hail advisory for parts of East Bay

Satellite images showed thunderstorms with 35 to 55 mph gusts, dense downpours and tiny hail are dotting the Bay Area this morning.

GOES-West Satellite Imagery

The National Weather Service connected Tuesday greeting issued a special upwind advisory  for Antioch, Livermore and Pleasanton, informing of 40-mile-per-hour winds and hail.

Highway 9 successful Santa Cruz closed owed to downed tree

A seven-mile agelong of Highway 9 was closed Tuesday greeting owed to a downed tree, Caltrans officials said. The road is closed astir 7 miles northbound of Santa Cruz, and it was not instantly known what clip it volition reopen.

Power outages forces schoolhouse closures successful South Bay

Los Gatos High School and Saratoga High School successful Santa Clara County volition beryllium closed Tuesday owed to powerfulness outages astatine some campuses, schoolhouse officials said.

Bay Area rivers nether show stage

Forecasters are monitoring respective rivers crossed the Bay Area arsenic storms proceed to deed California. The Russian River successful Guerneville was successful "monitor" signifier connected Tuesday morning, conscionable beneath the flood stage, and is expected to gradually diminish, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Bingaman.

The Pajaro River successful Monterey County is besides successful show stage. But forecasters foretell the h2o levels volition emergence connected Wednesday, erstwhile different circular of rainfall and beardown winds are expected to instrumentality to the portion aft a little interruption from bedewed upwind connected Tuesday evening, the NWS said.

Evacuations ordered successful Merced County town

The full municipality of Planada successful Merced County was ordered to evacuate connected Tuesday morning, according to the Merced County Sheriff's Office. There is simply a structure disposable astatine the Merced County Fairgrounds, officials said. Residents were urged to debar unnecessary travel.

Planada, eastbound of Merced, has a colonisation of astir 4,100 people.

“It felt similar our location was gonna stroke away”

People successful Northern California were woken up starting astir 2 a.m. by aggravated rainfall and, successful immoderate cases, thunder.

From Oakland to the Tri-Valley to San Francisco, radical connected societal media said the sounds and sights of the tempest were similar thing they had seen before.

In the East Bay, 1 Reddit idiosyncratic wrote: “That mightiness person been immoderate of the hardest hitting rainfall I’ve ever heard.”Others besides woken up by the tempest concurred: “It had maine looking retired the model reasoning ‘what would hap if that histrion fell connected the house?’ I’ve ne'er heard upwind similar that before.” Another idiosyncratic wrote they “saw and heard 1 aggravated lightning/thunder and it felt similar our location was gonna stroke away.”

A Campbell nonmigratory said a redwood histrion uprooted and fell into the country of their building: “This is wherever our chamber is, truthful we’ve moved to our spare. Not definite what the grade of the harm is, but it’s holding for now. I ideate that this volition instrumentality days to person removed.”

Hail reported successful San Francisco 

A tempest strategy moving crossed the Bay Area aboriginal Tuesday greeting brought hail to San Francisco, according to aggregate reports. 

Wind gust blasts SFO 

Anyone retired determination getting hail? Here's immoderate that conscionable fell astatine our office. #cawx pic.twitter.com/YbWWLvrDbc

— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 10, 2023

A upwind gauge astatine San Francisco International Airport measured a gust astatine 69 mph, according to an automated wind-speed alert.

Storms connected Tuesday were expected to bring different circular of almighty wind, rainfall and adjacent hail storms to the Bay Area. 

PG&E outages: 189,000 customers without power 

About 189,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers were without powerfulness Tuesday greeting aft the latest circular of wintertime storms pounded the Bay Area and the Central Coast, according to the inferior company. 

“The tempest enactment included upwind gusts exceeding 70 mph and much than 100 unreality to crushed lightning strikes arsenic of 5:30 a.m.” Tuesday, PG&E said successful a greeting update. 

Morning storms could bring hail to parts of Bay Area 

The adjacent tempest strategy acceptable to rake crossed the Bay Area is expected to bring scattered thunderstorms Tuesday, on with gusty winds and adjacent tiny hail, according to a forecast from the National Weather Service. 

The storms are apt to suffer steam passim the time and taper disconnected Tuesday evening, NWS said. “Another circular of rainfall and gusty winds appears connected pat for Wednesday, past drier conditions arsenic we caput into the second portion of the week,” NWS meteorologists wrote.

How precocious volition rainfall totals beryllium successful the Bay Area?

Rain totals volition apt tally astir 1 to 2 inches successful astir of the Bay Area, says Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Díaz says, portion the mountains could spot arsenic overmuch arsenic 4 inches arsenic thunderstorms rainfall themselves retired betwixt valleys. It goes without saying that the further rainfall and the beardown winds from each these thunderstorms volition lone adhd to the accent connected soils that are filled to the brim with moisture, on with the hazard for debris flows arsenic oversaturated trees autumn over. 

Tuesday's upwind forecast

Monday night’s thunderstorms volition transportation implicit into Tuesday morning, bringing rounds of dense downpours, lightning and beardown winds to the Bay Area and Santa Cruz Mountains. Unlike caller storms, Tuesday’s setup volition big connected and disconnected rounds of dense rainfall. This means that determination volition beryllium places crossed the Bay Area wherever breaks successful the rainfall mightiness past anyplace from a mates minutes to a mates hours, depending connected however galore thunderstorm cells extremity up forming.

The North American upwind model’s forecast for rainfall bands keeps them disorganized implicit the Bay Area, which is simply a beardown awesome for the isolated thunderstorms that volition apt ellipse portions of the coast, San Francisco Bay and the mountains this greeting and into the aboriginal day hours.

Diaz, Gerry / Pivotal Weather

Go present for the afloat weather forecast for each Bay Area region.

Dozens of Teslas and different high-end cars ruined by tempest flooding astatine S.F. repair shop

More than a week aft the epic New Year’s Eve tempest sent waist-high waters coursing done Alioto’s Garage connected Folsom Street successful San Francisco, the store is inactive cleaning up – but 40 Tesla, Porsche and different pricey cars that got flooded are a full loss. Garage co-owner Matt Alioto said the section tempest drain backed up successful the tempest and turned his repair store into a small water truthful accelerated that helium and his unit couldn’t determination the automobiles retired of harm’s way. “We’ll astir apt beryllium cleaned up capable to commencement taking cars successful by the extremity of this week, oregon adjacent week, but the harm is successful the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Alioto told The Chronicle.

Alioto's Garage successful San Francisco mislaid thousands of dollars worthy of pricey cars to tempest damage.

provided by Matt Alioto Jan. 9, 20223

Provided by Matt Alioto

Photos and video of Santa Cruz region damage

Sand bags situation the location of Daniel and Colleen Kumada-McGowan successful a vicinity disconnected of Holohan Road adjacent Watsonville, Calif. connected Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.Brontë Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Sewage overflows into San Francisco Bay and metropolis streets

Millions of gallons of tempest h2o mixed with earthy sewage made its mode into creeks, the bay and metropolis streets during caller dense rainstorms that overwhelmed dozens of Bay Area sewers and immoderate attraction plants.

A nonmigratory watches arsenic h2o flows into a sewage drain successful San Francisco connected Jan. 4.

Jeff Chiu, STF / Associated Press

Some earthy sewage seeped retired of manholes oregon backed up sewer drains, calling into question adjacent the thought of kids splashing successful their rainboots.

“Don’t leap successful puddles. Especially successful San Francisco — you privation to beryllium cautious that determination (could be) sewage successful that,” said Eileen White, enforcement serviceman of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, referring to flooded areas erstwhile the city’s unsocial sanitary strategy that combines tempest h2o and wastewater is backed up during dense rain.

Read much astir sewer overflows crossed the Bay Area.