Bay Area crews clean up after damaging weather
A day after heavy winds blew through the Bay Area, crews worked Sunday to restore power to thousands of meters, reopen roads and repair other damage.
PG&E was working on restoring power to 4,060 Marin County customers, 2,895 customers in San Mateo County, 2,793 Santa Cruz County customers, 1,157 Santa Clara County customers and hundreds more in San Francisco and the East Bay as of Sunday afternoon.
The storm knocked out power to much of Novato on Saturday along with other parts of Marin. The events reported by police agencies in Marin included a fallen tree and power lines on Fairway Drive near of Carnoustie Drive in Novato; the closure of Francisco Boulevard East from Main Street to Morphew Street; and a fallen tree and power lines on Paradise Drive between Golden Hind Passage and Westward Drive in Corte Madera.
In Santa Cruz County, where a tornado flipped cars and downed powerlines Saturday afternoon in Scotts Valley, power was fully restored and all roads were opened thanks to crews who worked through the night, the Scotts Valley Police Department said Sunday.
Five people were reportedly injured, including three who were transported to a medical facility, one of whom was admitted for continued treatment, police said. No fatalities were reported.
“We want to take a moment to thank the community for its patience, understanding, and cooperation as we worked through this challenging and impactful situation. We know the disruption caused was significant, and your support throughout the process has been invaluable,” the police department said. “The collaborative effort from everyone involved reflects the strength and resilience of this community and those who serve it.”
The tornado created a path of damage down Mount Hermon Road, around the Scotts Valley Shopping Center, for about five minutes starting at 1:39 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The tornado was given an “Enhanced Fujita Scale” rating of 1, the second-lowest of six levels, with the twister likely producing wind gusts of about 90 miles an hour.
A tornado warning was also briefly issued for San Francisco, a first in the city’s history. The warning was issued at 5:54 a.m. Saturday and canceled about 20 minutes later.
California has an average of 11 tornados a year, typically during the spring and fall in the northern half of the Central Valley, the National Weather Service said.
Pounding rain and strong winds were felt across the region. Flooding closed roads in Belmont and Livermore for hours and thousands were still without power Sunday afternoon due to downed lines.
Power outages Sunday caused traffic delays in Walnut Creek on Ygnacio Valley Road at Lennon Lane, and BART services were temporarily cut between the Coliseum and Oakland Airport stations.
Areas surrounding the San Francisco and San Pablo bays have been under a minor coastal flood warning since Thursday, which will remain in effect until 1 p.m. Monday.
Light rain and temperatures in the mid-50s are in the forecast for much of the Bay Area at the start of the week.
“We’re definitely not going to see what we saw over the weekend,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nicole Sarment. “Winds may be up to 30 miles per hour or so close to the coast, but not anywhere what we saw this weekend.”
The Independent Journal contributed to this report.