The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday may have spared drivers from a day of spinouts, crashes and traffic jams Monday, but weather forecasters predict the brunt of this week's storms is still to come.

Unfortunately, there are no more holidays to keep them off roads, some of which may be flooded by Wednesday.

"It's going to be raining and windy for the rest of the week, with chances of thunderstorms," said meteorologist Larry Smith, of the National Weather Service.

While today has more of the same in store, the brunt of the storm is expected to arrive Wednesday and last into Thursday, Smith said.

For many Californians already affected by the first day of the storm, that probably won't come as cheery news.

Pacific Gas and Electric workers were kept busy responding to scattered outages. At least 221,000 customers had been affected as of Monday night, the utility reported. About 15,000 customers on the Peninsula lost power when a tree hit electrical lines after 10 a.m. In the East Bay about 2,000 lost power as a result of the storm, as did numerous customers in the North Bay, on the Peninsula and in Half Moon Bay. At least 1,600 Bay Area customers were still waiting for power to be restored late Monday, PG&E said.

And there was a smattering of problems on area roadways. In Santa Rosa, the California Highway Patrol responded to "mud, dirt and rock slides" that blocked Highway 128 about 7:30 a.m.


Many South Bay freeways, ncluding 101, 17, 87, and 237, had at least one lane flooded and numerous on- and offramps flooded as well, the CHP said.

"Any time there's rain, it's going to be busier in terms of hazards in the road and disabled vehicles," said CHP Officer Steve Griefer, who covers the San Jose area, where the CHP logged more than 50 accident calls from 9 to 11 a.m. alone.

"So, motorists need to remember to slow down, and turn on their headlights and windshield wipers."

CHP Officer Ralph Caggiano said that while there were plenty of spinouts and noninjury crashes, not one major injury crash had occurred as of Monday evening.

The same held true in cities. Tracy police Lt. Jeremy Watney said his city did not have an increase in crashes, and the most serious problem reported was minor flooding because leaves piled up on storm drains.

Flooding may become a problem over the course of the week if heavy rains continue. Antioch's Office of Emergency Services on Monday warned residents near streams and creeks they may need to evacuate if those waterways overflow. Across Contra Costa County, free sandbags are being made available at several locations.

Air travelers faced their own weather-related headaches.

An American Airlines jet flying from Dallas to San Francisco had to make an emergency landing in San Jose after the pilots encountered a powerful gust of wind, called a microburst, as the plane began its descent in to San Francisco International Airport. The passengers were bussed to San Francisco.

Wind and rain caused delays of 30 minutes to two hours at SFO, airport Duty Manager Jeff Littlefield said.

Strong winds and high waves also pose a danger closer to the coast.

Waves may reach 15 feet or higher starting this morning, the weather service said. A high surf warning will be in effect from 4 a.m. today to 4 p.m. Thursday.

Monday, winds were strongest at Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point, measured between 50 and 60 mph, and at SFO, where they were clocked between 38 and 51 mph, with gusts of 59 mph.

"There will be periods of 25- to 35-mph winds through the Bay Area," meteorologist Smith said.

While the Bay Area seemed to avoid most problems Monday, the storm's impact was felt more deeply in the southern part of the state. A tornado warning was issued for central Fresno County, and a man in Kern County was killed when strong winds blew a tree onto his home, crushing him in his sleep.

In Victorville, four teenagers were rescued from a storm drain after becoming trapped by rising water. The four had used the storm drain as a shortcut to a park when a rushing wall of cold water forced them to grab onto a ladder leading to a manhole cover.

In Southern California authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100 homes just below an area scarred by a massive wildfire last summer.

Authorities fear a number of burn areas could be threatened by mudslides.

Staff and wire services contributed to this story.

rainfall totals
Today's Season Average
rainfall to date for season
Oakland 0.71 9.69 22.94
Richmond 1.50 9.44 23.35
Concord 0.50 7.46 17.98
Antioch 0.91 8.31 n/a
S. Francisco 1.04 8.41 22.28
Moffett Field 0.66 5.45 14.13


source : http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14219892?nclick_check=1