Bay Area weather updates: Powerful winds topple trees, knock out power to thousands
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- From toppled trees to downed powerlines, strong winds battered the Bay Area Tuesday afternoon leaving behind a path of destruction and thousands without power.
Tuesday's wind event is just a preview of what's to come, the region could see the coldest temps of the season from a winter storm that's expected to dump several inches of snow across the Santa Clara and Diablo ranges later this week.
RELATED: First Winter Storm Watch since 2011 issued for parts of Bay Area as coldest temps of season expected
A Wind Advisory went into effect at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and there are already reports of trees down and power outages across the Bay Area.
Gusts are expected to range from 45 to 65 mph.
Power Outages
Here are number of customers impacted, as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday:
- East Bay:3,170
- North Bay: 4,288
- Peninsula:52,620
- South Bay: 32,700
- San Francisco:1,374
10 p.m.
Caltrans clears fallen tree along Bay Bridge
Westbound traffic coming into San Francisco is back to normal as of 10 p.m. Tuesday after high winds sent a tree falling into traffic right before the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel. No one was hurt but two vehicles were damaged.
CHP says that the massive tree fell on the hood of a vehicle. A second car crashed into another part of that tree. First firefighters, then Caltrans crews were able to eventually clear the branches and the trunk of the tree.
9:50 p.m.
Baby critically injured after tree crashes into Boulder Creek home
A 1-year-old was critically injured after a redwood tree crashed into a Boulder Creek home in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Tuesday, according to fire officials. Emergency crews rescued six people from the home, including two dogs.
8:50 p.m.
South Bay battered by gusty winds
The South Bay was considered to be one of the hardest hit areas Tuesday afternoon, by PG&E. At one point, nearly 16,700 customers were impacted, coming in second to the Peninsula which had 32,000 customers impacted by 3 p.m.
Along Sherman Street in San Jose, large branches toppled in the wind, taking out wires in front of a home. The scene mirrored many others across the region. Residents with growing concern over the day's powerful wind gusts.
San Jose resident Diane Chermak briefly stopped the interview to say, "I'm a little nervous standing out here."
Chermak has lived in the area for almost 20 years, and said trees don't normally come down during high-wind events. Now, there's added danger of downed wires next door causing more worry.
"These old Victorians, the wood is so old," she described. "If there's a spark, that's what really worries me."
Elsewhere, the evening commute through city streets, interrupted by the loss of power. Along NB 87 before 280, a tree stopped traffic in the right lane. At Seventh and Keyes Streets in San Jose, a large branch fell across several wires. San Jose Fire was on-scene.
In Downtown San Jose, ABC7 News found empty outdoor seating areas, but plenty of foot traffic.
"We were going for it no matter what," Livermore resident Troy Lewis said. He dressed in layers to attend a concert at the SAP Center. He was strategic about his parking plans.
"We parked in the parking structure, but we're ready," Lewis said. "Figured it's gonna be bad tonight with the wind, trees may be coming down."
Tuesday's wind surge, coming roughly seven weeks since historic storms hit the region in January. Residents remaining prepared and exercising patience as the Bay Area takes the brunt of the storm.
"PG&E will come and the power will go off... but it's gonna be a long time," Chermak said. "Which is understandable. I'm sure they've got their hands full."
4:52 p.m.
Some WB lanes of Bay Bridge reopen after downed tree causes backup
The third and fourth lanes of the Bay Bridge have reopened as of 4:52 p.m. after crews cleared out the downed tree, the CHP said. The fifth lane will remain closed for at least two more hours.
3:45 p.m.
Large tree blocking several westbound lanes on Bay Bridge
A large tree is blocking several westbound lanes on the Bay Bridge near the Treasure Island Tunnel causing a massive traffic jam, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Drivers should expect delays and avoid the area if possible.
3:30 p.m.
Ferry delays or cancellations
San Francisco Bay Ferry officials say due to the weather the 4:20 p.m. South San Francisco departure to Alameda and Oakland has been canceled. The next departure will be at 5:20 p.m.
Treasure Island Ferry officials say due to the extreme winds on the Bay, the Treasure Island Ferry has been canceled for the rest of the afternoon.
3 p.m.
65K to 70K PG&E customers without power in Bay Area
PG&E spoke to ABC7's Kristen Sze on our 3 p.m. show "Getting Answers," and PG&E is reporting 65,000 to 70,000 power outages in the Bay Area.
PG&E says they are on standby with crews and supplies available to help restore lost power.
2 p.m.
SF, Oakland see wind gusts up to 63 mph
Meteorologist Drew Tuma tweeted that San Francisco and Oakland are experiencing high wind gusts of 63 mph as of 2 p.m.
Toppled Trees
Even before the rain and cold arrived for our latest winter storm, high winds made their not-so-welcome return to the Bay Area. Up and down the Peninsula and across the region, trees were toppled causing damage to homes, vehicles and power lines.
ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim was in San Francisco when a massive tree fell on a car between Harrison St. and 25th St. in San Francisco.
VIDEO: High winds bring down massive tree onto car and power lines in San Francisco
An image obtained with permission to ABC7 News shows a tree that fell on top of a car on 23rd St. in San Francisco.
Our ABC7 News photographer Jackie Sissel captured an image of a massive tree that fell by Walgreens at Potrero and 24th St. in San Francisco.
San Jose Tree Service Inc. Arborist Robert Apolinar told ABC7 News reporter Dustin Dorsey that he thinks we could see a lot more downed trees in the coming days.
Apolinar says looking out for warning signs of trees that may be prone to failure, like dead branches or limbs that stretch away from the trunk, may be the best way to prepare for what's to come.
Unlike our January storms, evergreen trees may be most at risk because it's not the rain that's the biggest concern, it's the wind.
"The rain is more going down, a light push, some extra weight," Apolinar said. "But the wind can spin and come from different angles. So, it certainly puts stress on the roots and if the tree is really weak, it will pull it right over."
