Jan. 4, 3:10 p.m.
More evacuation orders are being issued in Santa Cruz County Wednesday afternoon, including communities in Capitola, Watsonville, Soquel and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Homes around Whitehouse Canyon Road and Daffodil Lane in the mountains have been told to leave immediately.
“The Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for Whitehouse Canyon Rd. and Daffodil Lane due to a failed culvert approximately 2.5 miles from Highway 1,”Santa Cruz County officials said. “The upcoming weather system there is a high probability of full failure of the culvert, which would eliminate use of Whitehouse Canyon Rd.”
For more live coverage of Santa Cruz County evacuations, visit local TV station KSBW.
Thousands lose power in Bay Area
Jan. 4, 2:35 p.m.
With the heaviest rain and wind still to come, thousands have already lost power in the Bay Area. A PG&E spokesperson told SFGATE that 11,000 customers in the region are without power Wednesday afternoon.
Bomb cyclone creating 45-foot waves in Pacific Ocean
Jan. 4, 2:15 p.m.
The bomb cyclone pushing toward Northern California is creating 45-foot-tall waves in the Pacific Ocean. The latest imagery from the National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center shows 45-foot waves in the center of the storm, with “hurricane force winds” accompanying the churning seas.
A “bomb cyclone” is a meteorological term that describes a specific type of storm that is experiencing rapid pressure drops. “Bomb cyclones are not unheard of but are considered rare whenever it happens across the country,” Brooke Bingaman, a forecaster with the weather service, said. “As meteorologists, whenever we hear the term ‘bomb’ cyclone, we understand that it means the storm system is rapidly strengthening/intensifying.”
By the time it reaches shore later this afternoon, forecasters think waves up to 30 feet tall may occur along the the California coast.
Rain expected to arrive in Bay Area soon as bomb cyclone nears
Jan. 4, 1:35 p.m.
Winds are forecast to begin picking up and rain will fall in earnest in parts of the Bay Area as an atmospheric river begins to move inland this afternoon. The heaviest rain is forecast to fall between 3 p.m. Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday as the cold front sweeps California. The heavy rains will likely arrive in the North Bay first and push southward into the central Bay Area and South Bay. The North Bay is forecast to receive the most rain.
“Everybody is going to get hit,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Garcia said. “It’s like a wall coming at us.”
For more on the timing of the storm, see our coverage here.
More California parks close
Jan. 4, 1 p.m.
Even more California parks are closing ahead of wet weather and possibly dangerous wind. In the California State Parks system alone, 16 parks are completely closed, and 37 have partial closures. To see the full list of Bay Area parks that are off-limits right now, see our coverage here.
Richmond neighborhood evacuated due to mudslide risk
Jan. 4, 12:45 p.m.
Residents of a Point Richmond neighborhood are evacuating as a mudslide on the hill threatens homes. Before noon Wednesday, residents in the Seacliff Drive neighborhood, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay, were warned to leave immediately. About 15 homes at the bottom of the hill have been evacuated, Mayor Tom Butt told SFGATE.
KRON reporter Rob Nesbitt saw work crews attempting to put tarps on the hillside to prevent more rain from seeping into the already saturated ground. This morning’s rain was just a taste of what’s to come, according the National Weather Service. Heavy rain and wind are supposed to move into the region later this afternoon.
California Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency due to winter storms
Jan. 4, 12:30 p.m.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon amid a bomb cyclone event hitting Northern California.
“The emergency proclamation supports emergency relief efforts including authorizing the mobilization of the California National Guard to support disaster response, directing Caltrans to request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program to support highway repairs and other support for local response and recovery efforts,” the governor’s office said.
The complete text from the proclamation can be found governor’s website.
94 mph wind gust recorded in Humboldt County, 77 mph wind near Napa
Jan. 4, 12:15 p.m.
The National Weather Service’s Eureka office said the strongest wind gust recorded in its region as of 11 a.m. amid the California bomb cyclone was a 94 mph wind on Upper Bear River Road in the King Range of Southwest Humboldt County. “High winds are expected to continue all through the evening tonight,” the agency said. “Major roads like parts of 101 are closed due to down trees. Power outages have been reported throughout the area.”
In the Bay Area, as of noon, Mount St. Helena saw a 77 mph gust, which is the strongest wind recorded so far in the Bay Area in this storm. Mount Umunhum recorded a 65 mph gust.
“The winds are just getting going and they’re going to continue through this afternoon,” Cindy Palmer, a forecaster with the weather service’s Bay Area office, said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if in the mountain areas we saw winds in the 70 to 80 mph range, even in the 90s.”
In the valley areas, the weather service is forecasting gusts of 40 to 60 mph. Palmer said it’s not unusual for the Bay Area to see 40 to 50 mph winds in a big storm. “For us to see gusts starting to push 60 mph, that’s unusual” she told SFGATE on the phone.
A high wind warning remains in effect through 10 a.m. Thursday.
The strongest winds are going to come through later this afternoon and into the evening. Widespread power outages are expected.
“If you have power now, it’s time to charge your cellphones,” Palmer said. “Make sure you have flashlights and batteries that are functioning.”
South San Francisco school district cancels school on Thursday due to storm
Jan. 4, 11:44 a.m.
File photo of a sign outside of a school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Laura Kalcheff/Getty ImagesThe South San Francisco Unified School District said it will temporarily close all schools on Thursday, Jan. 5, due to the major storm hitting Northern California on Wednesday and Thursday. This news comes after many private schools in the Bay Area canceled school Wednesday.
The San Francisco Unified School District said Tuesday that school will be in session on Wednesday. “We are closely monitoring updates related to the storm, and will provide updates to staff and families in case the situation evolves,” the district said on Twitter.
Families should check with their districts and schools regarding potential closures.
Santa Cruz County issues evacuation warning for Weston Road
Jan. 4, 11:30 a.m.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for Weston Road, stating that main access to the Weston Road neighborhood will likely be compromised due to the California bomb cyclone.
Find the complete evacuation warning from the sheriff’s office on Twitter. Residents can look up their evacuation zones at community.zonehaven.com.
Flooding begins in San Francisco, but it’s not too bad yet at start of bomb cyclone event
Jan. 4, 11:15 a.m.
Public Works crews are spread out throughout the San Francisco sweeping catch basins to prevent flooding Jan. 4, 2023.
San Francisco Public WorksThe San Francisco Fire Department reported flooding at 6th and Brannan streets just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday amid the California bomb cyclone.
The department is asking people to avoid the area.
Department spokesperson Jonathan Baxter said that as of 11 a.m. the city has received 12 flooding-related calls to 911 and 46 calls to 311, all of them minor. “We’re doing fairly well right now,” Baxter told SFGATE on the phone.
In the New Year’s Eve storm event, when SF received nearly 5.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, Baxter said the city received 800 flooding-related calls to 911 and about the same number to 311.
Get info on how to prepare for flooding and what to do if your neighborhood floods at sf72.org.
Winds start picking up across Bay Area amid bomb cyclone event
Jan. 4, 11 a.m.
Winds began developing late Wednesday morning across the San Francisco Bay Area amid a California bomb cyclone event. ABC News meteorologist Drew Tuma shared a graphic showing wind speeds recorded as of 10 a.m. across the region, including a 37 mph gust in Oakland and a 36 mph gust in Livermore.
“Winds are beginning to ramp up quickly this morning and will continue to increase into the afternoon,” Tuma wrote on Twitter. “The next 12 hours we will see trees come down and power outages occur. Wind gusts for most will range from 40-60mph. In our hills winds could gust as high as 80mph.”
Winds in the Wednesday-Thursday storm are expected to be more severe and dangerous than they were in the New Year’s Eve storm. The National Weather Service is warning that trees can fall easily in waterlogged soil.
“It’s not the rain that I’m concerned about,” Brian Garcia, a forecaster with the weather service, told SFGATE on Wednesday morning. “The flooding will be a problem, but it’s the wind and the trees down and this happening at night that’s very concerning.”
A wind warning is in effect for the Bay Area through 10 a.m. Thursday; get more info on the warning from the weather service.
Highway 1 to US 101 connector ramp closed in Sausalito due to flooding
Jan. 4, 10:45 a.m.
People look on as a tow truck pulls a car out of a flooded intersection on Jan. 4, 2023, in Mill Valley, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesCaltrans said at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday that the Highway 1 to U.S. 101 connector ramp in Sausalito was closed due to flooding amid a bomb cyclone event.
“Motorists are advised to expect delays and to use alternate routes to avoid the area,” the agency said.
San Jose tells residents to be ready to evacuate ahead of storm
Jan. 4, 10:30 a.m.
Amid the California bomb cyclone event, the city of San Jose is advising residents to be ready to evacuate if necessary by packing a bag with documents, medication and a change of clothes. San Jose declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and is encouraging people to protect their property with sandbags.
Get information on how to be prepared and how to stay informed at SFGATE and on San Jose’s storm preparedness website.
San Francisco runs out of sandbags ahead of heaviest rains
Jan. 4, 10:15 a.m.
San Francisco Department of Public Works workers load sandbags into a car on Jan. 3, 2023, in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSan Francisco’s Public Works Department said Wednesday morning just before 7 a.m. that it has run out of sandbags amid a major bomb cyclone event, but the agency said new stock is coming soon.
“We do not have any sandbags available at this time to give out but expect new supply to be available today,” the department wrote in a tweet. “Timing TBD. We will update folks when we have more information.”
The agency said in a follow-up tweet just before 9 a.m. that it still did not have sandbags and that the restocking had likely been delayed amid high demand throughout the Bay Area.
Read more about the city’s sandbag shortage on SFGATE.
San Francisco issues flood warning amid bomb cyclone event
Jan. 4, 9:25 a.m.
A pedestrian walks with an umbrella over sandbags lined up at the entrance to the Embarcadero Muni station, in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
Charles Russo/SFGATEThe flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service and is in effect through 4 p.m. Thursday. The high wind watch runs through 4 a.m. Thursday.
Get more info and weather safety tips at sf72.org.
Bomb cyclone sends rain to the San Francisco Bay Area
Jan. 4, 9:15 a.m.
Satellite image of the “bomb cyclone” system approaching Northern California at 8:10 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2023.
NOAAThe core of a bomb cyclone was over the Pacific Ocean, 700 miles north-northwest of San Francisco, on Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m., the National Weather Service said. The rapidly deepening system delivered a warm front to the Bay Area early this morning, and light to moderate rain is expected through the morning and early afternoon. Storm conditions are expected to become dangerous this afternoon and continue into early Thursday as a fierce cold front sweeps the region.
Get the full rundown on how the storm is expected to unfold and when the heaviest rain is forecast to hit on SFGATE.
Full Bay Area Storm Coverage
