Frigid temperatures and strong winds hit the Bay Area on Thursday evening as an intense, rare winter storm that could bring several inches of snow to some areas made its way through the region.
The cold weather system hit the North Bay first Thursday evening and is expected to move south overnight into Friday morning.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and wind advisories across the Bay Area on Thursday evening into Friday morning, with widespread snow, hail, thunderstorms and gusty winds in the forecast that could make Friday morning’s commute unsafe.
“We don’t often get this cold of air coming into California,” Brooke Bingaman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said of the “anomalous” storm.
Temperatures in Santa Rosa dipped as low as 28 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, which tied the previous record low on this day in 2022, 1955 and 1911, the NWS said.
Areas south of the North Bay stayed above 40 degrees for the most part, Bingaman said, with temperatures in Oakland dipping to 46 degrees Fahrenheit and between 41 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit in San Jose. The Peninsula reached the low 40s with higher elevations in the high 30s.
“We are looking at snow already falling in northwest California, even down to the coast in Humboldt and Mendocino county, and that’s sinking down into the Bay Area,” NWS Meteorologist Brian Garcia said in a video statement.
Snow has already started falling in the Napa County mountains and official accumulation reports are estimated to come in Friday morning. Bingaman said as the weather system moves south, snow, thunderstorms and winds will come with it.
Highway 29 was closed between Tubbs Lane in Calistoga and Bradford Road around 8 p.m. Thursday due to hazardous road conditions and vehicle spin-outs, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Snow accumulations are expected to be as high as 12 inches in the hills around the bay, and up to a foot in the hills east of San Jose, up to six inches in the East Bay hills and up to seven inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
In the North Bay, the NWS reported seeing cars stuck in the snow near Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County. The NWS issued a special weather statement to take cover in Petaluma, Inverness and Point Reyes Station due to hail and 30 mph winds until 8:45 p.m. Thursday evening.
The NWS reported lightning, thunderstorms and strong winds in Marin County on Thursday night.
The strong winds are expected to cause choppy waves up to 14 feet high on the Bay Area’s southern coastline, and a gale warning is in effect for small boats until 9 p.m. The San Mateo Harbor District is warning boaters to use caution, as conditions could capsize or damage vessels.
BART trains remain delayed up to 20 minutes as of Thursday night. The transportation agency said its trains were running at slower speeds due to the weather conditions and said passengers should plan for longer travel times.
Snow and gusty winds caused power outages across the Bay Area this week and temporarily closed Highway 101 for power line repairs. As of Thursday evening, thousands of Pacific Gas and Electric customers along the Peninsula were without power, as well as residents in San Jose, and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“One of our bigger concerns is the fact that the winds are going to be picking up as the system moves through overnight,” Bingaman said. “It’s a cold air mass, so it’s going to be cold in the morning. If people lose power because trees are blown down and impact the power line, that’s going to be really cold for people.”
Wind gusts are estimated to reach up to 40 mph at lower elevations, and up to 50 mph in the mountains. Bingaman said if there are widespread outages, residents could be left without power for days.
Garcia said the highest snowfall would likely be above 2,000-2,500 feet, though flakes could make their way down to the valley floors and coastline.
“There is probability there that we could see snow all the way down to the valley floors, and even to the coast, but we have a very, very low probability, I’d say about 5%, that we’ll see any accumulating snow at the coast,” Garcia said.
Redwood City resident Brian Archbold skied alongside Highway 35 in Palo Alto on Thursday morning, where snow levels reached nearly 4 inches. Archbold said he was on his way to Tahoe to hit the slopes when he pulled over, first in Saratoga then in Palo Alto, to ski down the hills.
“I literally skied Palo Alto today,” Archbold said. “Highway Patrol and the sheriff gave me a fist pump.”
A first round of snowfall reached the Santa Cruz Mountains on Thursday morning, totaling 3 inches of snow in higher elevations.
“Be prepared. If you don’t have to go out and drive tomorrow morning — don’t,” Garcia said. “Wait until the afternoon when the showers pass. Let Caltrans and other road crews do their job of clearing the road and be safe. Make sure that you stay safe.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com