Live storm updates: Brief tornadoes possible in parts of NorCal Monday, NWS says
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area is heading into another rainy stretch in the forecast this weekend, with the possibility of heavy snow hitting the Tahoe area. Here are the latest updates.
TIMELINE: Heaviest rain arrives Sunday afternoon, night continuing into Monday
WATCH: Latest AccuWeather forecast
LIVE: Track rain in San Francisco Bay Area with Live Doppler 7
SUNDAY
11 p.m. Strong winds and rain felt along San Francisco coast
Sunday night rain and wind hit areas of San Francisco hard. Our crews saw hard downpours near Ocean Beach but much calmer conditions along The Embarcadero.
We recorded a video near the former Cliff House location. The wind was blowing so hard, the rain appeared to be coming down sideways. The wind was so strong, that small signs looked like they were going to come off a couple of the poles in the area.
We interviewed a woman whose hair was blowing all over the place as we spoke. It's one thing to have the rain, but it's those strong wind gusts that create problems with power lines and trees. In reality, there were only a limited number of calls for that in San Francisco on Sunday night.
We spoke with several San Franciscans and asked them about their weather concerns going forward.
"I'm afraid of the flooding. For the homeless, I'm very concerned about that. I think they should open up city hall and let them come in. I mean, if you really care about people and humanity, they should really make those spaces available," said Zoe Kelman.
"There's a skylight in the floors above me, and it's right above my kitchen, and there's a leak. So I'm hoping it doesn't rain too hard, otherwise it might collapse, because it has collapsed in the past, and the whole kitchen has been destroyed from a past tenant, so I'm just hoping it's not too bad," said Josh Casas.
"Are you staying dry tonight so far?" we asked Hugh Newell.
"Doing a pretty bad job of that, but you know, I'm a smoker and not too many places to crowd under with this wind and rain. But we're making it work," Newell said.
Not many people were out in the wet and windy weather. Along The Embarcadero, we saw two coyotes walk by us Sunday night. It appeared as though they were on the prowl for food.
10:30 p.m. Mudslide causes part of Hwy 128 in Geyserville to close, officials say
In the North Bay, a large mudslide occurred on Highway 128 in Geyserville -- about a mile south of Chalk Hill Road.
It happened around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Caltrans is currently on the scene, trying to clear a tree out from the area. The road is closed indefinitely at this time.
9:45 p.m. Flooding prompts road closures in parts of Marin County, officials say
A portion of state Highway 1 in Marin County closed Sunday night due to flooding, the county office of emergency management said at 8:45 p.m.
Flooding has closed Highway 1, also known as Shoreline Highway, south of Tomales Petaluma Road and north of Snake Road near Tomales in northwest Marin, the county said.
5 p.m. 'Another round': Powerful storm hitting the Bay Area with strong winds and rain
The Bay Area remains on storm watch this weekend and many are bracing for round two of heavy rain and winds. For those living on the coast, there's a warning about high surf.
"Wow, look at the swells building up. That's going to hit 15 or 20 feet," said Janaki Tenneti.
Tenneti and her husband Rama are watching big waves crashing at the Pacifica Pier. The surf is churning up ahead of the next storm moving into the Bay Area.
"Oh, it's magnificent. It's exhilarating to see the high swells," said Janaki Tenneti.
"It's amazing, scary too. I felt dizzy when I was watching the waves, because they keep moving," said Rama Tenneti.
The city is closing the Municipal Pier to the public as a safety precaution due to high wave action. A sign is posted.
Neighbors on Beach Boulevard are sandbagging their properties, to keep seawater out.
Stormy conditions have prompted the closure of seven parks in San Mateo County, including San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica. Officials are concerned about trees toppling.
"Well, for safety reasons, that's a good thing. Today is less windy than yesterday. We came into the park for a walk but turned around at a specific time," said Lynn Mullen from Pacifica.
In the North Bay, a big tree fell Saturday in downtown Santa Rosa on 4th street, knocking out power to some businesses.
And several roads in Sonoma County, near the Russian River, saw weekend flooding. First responders say they're ready for more of the same.
"We've spent the last few days reaching out to our community, making sure they know the potential of another round of rain and the effects like we saw earlier this month, and the potential for flooding, outages and slow traffic conditions," said Santa Rosa Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal.
3 p.m. Vallejo opens warming center amid Bay Area storm
The City of Vallejo will open its warming center Sunday night until Wednesday morning in anticipation of the coming storm.
The warming center will be open 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day and is located in the Vallejo Room of the JFK Library, at 505 Santa Clara Street, in Vallejo.
The city is seeking volunteers to help with the warming center through Wednesday morning. If interested, click here for more info.
For further inquiries, please email homelessness@cityofvallejo.net.
2 p.m. Bay Area under flood watch, NWS says
The National Weather Service said just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday that a flood watch is in effect for most of Northern California through Wednesday morning.
Forecasters said to expect periods of moderate to heavy rain, as well as brief heavy showers from thunderstorms, beginning later Sunday afternoon and continuing through Tuesday.
The NWS said valley and Delta areas can expect 1.5 to 3 inches of rain and foothill areas 2.5 to 5 inches of rain.
Coastal and low-lying areas should expect nuisance flooding and residents living near rivers, creeks and streams should be aware of rising water levels.
There will also be a possibility of rock and mudslides in foothill areas.
The NWS says people should never drive across flooded roads and have an evacuation plan and an emergency kit.
1 p.m. Brief tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms possible in eastern part of East Bay Monday, NWS says
The National Weather Service said around 12:15 p.m. Sunday that brief tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms are possible in the Central Valley and the eastern part of the East Bay Area on Monday.
The NWS said there's a 30% to 50% chance of severe thunderstorms hitting the area Monday afternoon and evening, "Make sure you have multiple ways of receiving weather alerts," the NWS said on social media.
Residents can also expect gusty winds. The rain is expected to begin Sunday afternoon.
7 a.m.: Large tree falls in Santa Rosa causing power outage
In the North Bay, a large tree came down in Santa Rosa in the downtown area of Fourth Street causing a power outage.
Firefighters showed up and cleared the tree within an hour.
They're warning people when power lines come down, treat those power lines as if they're energized and call 911.
SATURDAY
6:30 p.m.: Several San Mateo Co. parks closed due to weather, officials say
Seven San Mateo County parks were closed Saturday due to high winds, the county parks department said.
The parks will be closed until conditions are safe, the department said in a social media post.
The closures came as the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory Saturday for the Bay Area and Central Coast.
South winds of 25 mph to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, were forecast from 10 a.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The parks that were closed are:
- Devil's Slide Trail
- Quarry Park
- Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
- San Pedro Valley
- Pillar Point Bluff
- Mirada Surf
- Moss Beach Park
6 p.m.: North Bay first responders gearing up for storms through Monday
The Bay Area is bracing for the storms this holiday weekend, which are expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain and possible flooding. First responders say they're ready for whatever comes.
The Gold Ridge Swift Water Rescue team fired a rope gun across the Russian River Saturday. The team is running practice drills with swimmers ahead of strong back-to-back storms which could raise river levels significantly higher.
This team is now activated and ready for the real thing if the call comes.
"We don't practice on the public. It's imperative we're experts at our jobs before the emergency happens," said Gold Ridge Fire Battalion Chief Gino Degraffenreid.
By late morning, rain started falling in Sonoma County. The storms bring a threat of flooding. It's why several roads in the Russian River Valley are being closed, like Mark West Station Road, where firefighters rescued a driver two weeks ago, after they ignored barricades and flooded signs.
"We'll definitely be making a presence, making sure people are obeying the rules, not going through barricades because they will be fined, said Ryan Osborne from Sonoma County Fire District.
Sonoma County Fire activated its Emergency Operations Center, where real-time data and weather forecasts are being reviewed and relayed to crews responding to emergencies.
"We are looking at strong winds causing trees to come down, power lines down, looking at a very heavy rainfall probability, going to be dealing with roads flooded," said Mark Heine from Sonoma County Fire District.
In Petaluma, umbrellas were up. We found Emerson Rahimian pulling a wagon, selling Girl Scout cookies in the rain.
3 p.m.: Santa Cruz Co. activates emergency warming center ahead of storm
Santa Cruz County has activated emergency warming shelters ahead of the flood watch and high wind advisory for Sunday through Tuesday.
The temporary protective severe weather shelters will open at three locations: the Santa Cruz Veterans Hall on 846 Front Street, Depot Park at 119 Center Street in Santa Cruz and Watsonville Veterans Hall on 215 East Beach Street in Watsonville.
The shelter system is the result of a joint effort involving the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Cruz and the City of Watsonville.
Depot Park and Watsonville Veterans Hall will operate as 24-hour shelters, starting at 12 noon on Sunday, Feb. 18, and be open until noon on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Shelter at the Santa Cruz Veterans Hall will operate as an overnight shelter from 8 p.m.-8 a.m. on Feb. 18 and 19, and from 10 p.m.-7 a.m. on Feb. 20. Reassessment for continuing shelter operations will take place on Tuesday.
Beds will be offered based on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to those with disabilities and experiencing notable health or safety risks while sleeping outdoors.
Cots, blankets and ready-to-eat meals will be provided. Food will be available after intake and bed allocations have been finalized. Pets will only be allowed if they are leashed and kept under voice control. No aggressive animals will be permitted inside.
Personal belongings must fit into small storage spaces located near assigned beds.
Lineup for shelter services starts one hour before the shelters open. Space is limited.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
