Powerful wind gusts up to 70 mph cause flooding, down trees, power lines across Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As the Bay Area braces for powerful rains starting Sunday, the wind was the big issue for most of Saturday.

Out at the Pacifica Pier, lots of people came out to fish for crab.

Raymond Guo of Foster City came up empty handed, but crab fishing wasn't the main purpose of tonight's visit. He wanted his family to experience the full force of the wind gusts.

RELATED: Advisory lifted after strong winds, high tide flooded San Francisco Embarcadero

"I love it! So, I try to bring my kids to let them see (what heavy winds) can be like!" explains Guo.

However, the family spent all of 30 minutes out at the pier as the gusts of wind and rain were a bit too strong, even for what he was expecting.

"I didn't realize that (it was going to be) super strong wind. The kids don't like it," said Guo.

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Across the Bay Area, wind gusts reached between 50 to 70 miles an hour.

In San Francisco, strong winds during times of high tides caused flooded that forced parts of the Embarcadero to be closed, and an emergency warning for people to stay away.

In the city's Richmond District, a downed tree blocked traffic for an hour, until firefighters were able to clear the road.

"For the past four to five years, every storm, there are always some branches that fall down. So, there is a lot of clean up afterward," says Hal Malmud, who lives in Millbrae.

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This afternoon, a branch from a maple tree just missed this neighbor's house. He says, when the winds pick up, he'll even avoid walks through his nearby park because they are lined with big trees.

"I have lived here for so long, that I know there is always that possibility for the branches to be flying around," says Malmud.

Farther north, there was even more damage. In Guerneville, winds pushed a tree onto a two-story house, tearing through the roof.

And there the usually wet spots as well, like flooding at the Manzanita Park and Ride in Mill Valley. This time, two cars got stuck in the water.