Saturday, February 7, 2015

FEROCIOUS WINDS KNOCKED DOWN TREES, RIPPED THROUGH FREEWAY AND STREET SIGNS, DELAYED HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS AND KNOCKED OUT POWER FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA.





 

FEROCIOUS WINDS KNOCKED DOWN TREES, RIPPED THROUGH FREEWAY AND STREET SIGNS, DELAYED HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS AND KNOCKED OUT POWER FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA.


February 7, 2015


Children from San Francisco Community School walk through Chinatown while on a field trip. (AP)

Ferocious winds knocked down trees, ripped through freeway and street signs, delayed hundreds of flights and knocked out power for thousands of people in California and Nevada.

Nearly 10 inches of rain is expected to hit parts of the drought-stricken regions of California. Although it will not make a significant help to the state's historic dry spell, it will be the first time San Francisco is seeing rain in six weeks.

The heaviest part of the rain is expected to occur Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a heavy-rain, high wind-gust and flash-food warning for the region through Monday.

Urban areas could see up to four inches of moisture, while some counties could see 10 inches through Sunday.

It would take 150 percent of the average rainfall for California to recover from the dry period, state water officials say. The state would like to see more snow than rain because snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by residents, agriculture and industry.

About 26 miles west of Seattle, an overflowing river inundated at least a half dozen homes on the Olympic Peninsula. Rescuers went door to door in Brinnon to check homes on a road partially blocked by a mudslide, Jefferson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger said.
 
Three people were rescued from a flooded pickup truck Friday morning, but none was injured, she said.



  
Threat of landslides
The threat of landslides will persist into the weekend, and weather officials warn of flooding in several rivers in western Washington. Oregon also saw flooding on roadways.

In the Sierra Nevada spanning California and Nevada, strong winds blinded drivers, causing multiple car crashes. The wind snapped massive trees, closed ski resorts around Lake Tahoe and knocked out power to thousands. A 215 km/h gust recorded early Friday near the Mount Rose Ski Resort southeast of Reno led the facility and two others to close.

At least a dozen people were hurt in multiple crashes on Nevada highways. No deaths were reported, but nine people were hospitalized in a crash on a stretch of U.S. Highway 95A that involved at least eight vehicles. Three other people were hospitalized with minor injuries after five cars crashed on U.S. 395 north of Reno near the California line.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, power lines were snapped by falling trees and the wind ripped through freeway and street signs. More than 60,000 people lost power. By Friday evening, 9,000 customers remained without power, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

North of San Francisco, businesses in Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties stacked sandbags to prepare for possible flash flooding from swollen waterways as rain started falling in the North Bay.

San Francisco International Airport saw delays of up to 90 minutes and about 175 flights cancelled Friday.

The storm is expected to drop rain through Sunday, and the National Weather Service issued a heavy-rain, high wind-gust and flash-flood warning for the region through Monday.




Rain could cause flash flooding
 
North of San Francisco, businesses in Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties stacked sandbags to prepare for possible flash flooding from swollen waterways as rain started falling in the North Bay.
 
Winds of up to 15 mph were recorded east of the city Friday morning, and the blustery weather knocked down trees and caused power outages, the National Weather Service said.

San Francisco International Airport saw delays of up to 90 minutes and about 175 flights canceled Friday.