'Took me by surprise' Bay Area residents react to torrential rain

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- At the height of Tuesday night's storm, much of the Bay Area was drenched in the downpour.

In Downtown San Jose, umbrellas were out, hoods were tied tightly and people were running to get out of the rain.

RELATED: Traffic delays, slippery roads and drenching rains impact Bay Area residents

Even with the day's cloud coverage, ABC7 News managed to connect with many who were caught unprepared.

Victor Benavides and his girlfriend were out enjoying dinner, when the storm hit. He stopped to speak with ABC7 News.

"Victor, you don't seem to have a water resistant jacket on. Were you prepared for this?" Benavides answered, "I really wasn't."

Minutes later, resident Daniel Rodriguez said, "I was just doing some errands and then it just happened."

"I prepared nothing," Dat Phan explained. "Because it's erratic and it's a surprise."

ABC7 News warned viewers about the Bomb Cyclone far in advance.

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"Bomb cyclone, or bombogenesis, is a rapidly developing area of low pressure. In fact, it's been at least 15 years or more since we have experienced a bomb cyclone in the Bay Area," according to ABC7 News Meteorologist Mike Nicco.

A "bomb cyclone" is a mixture of blizzard-like conditions in our mountains with near hurricane force winds in Northern California with tropical storm force winds across the Bay Area.

The bombogenesis left the evening commute soaked. Conditions forced drivers to put extra focus on safety.

"The oil on the roads is very slick," Benavides told ABC7 News. "So, you have to take care and slow down a little bit."

Rachel Idikula from Milpitas said, "It's torture. Especially when it's really wet, there are a lot of rear-end accidents that happen. So, everyone is driving a lot more cautiously."

Off the slick roads and on Downtown San Jose streets, ABC7 News spotted a few others who actually came prepared.

Several people bundled up in layers, as temperatures dipped below 50-degrees.

"I was thinking, I will not be cold," Keyza MacDonald said. "So, I came with like a sweater, a jacket, a scarf, gloves, a beanie. I wanted to be prepared for the cold."

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"To be honest, I didn't expect it would be this cold," Idikula added. "I know everyone was saying the temperatures going to drop, and it was going to get wet, but this actually took me by surprise."

Nicco's AccuWeather forecast shows the Bay Area will be hit with a 2 on the Storm Impact Scale on Tuesday, followed by more rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Watch the latest AccuWeather forecast and take a look at recent weather stories and videos.