In Southern California, three counties, including Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles, have been put under a flood watch until Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
High wind warnings have been extended from Southern California on up to the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast, including the Monterey Bay area. Wind gusts of 84 miles per hour have been recorded along the Big Sur coastal area along with a number of downed power lines and trees in the region.
According to Capt. Mitch Matlow, with the San Jose Fire Department, firefighters are responding to dozens of calls reporting downed trees and power poles. One call involved a tree that fell and ripped up a gas line near Penitencia Creek and White roads, according to the Mercury News.
As of noontime today, statewide rainfall amounts during a 12-hour period starting at midnight include Santa Rosa .56 inches, San Francisco with .67 inches, San Luis Obispo 1.38 inches and Santa Barbara with 2.76 inches. The wettest location so far in the state is the San Marcos Pass in Santa Barbara County, with 5.28 inches of rain in the same time frame.
California’s South Bay and Central Coast were battered by strong winds that resulted in over 100,000 PG&E customers losing power. “Tree limbs have been falling everywhere and trees are bringing down power lines,” PG&E spokeswoman Mayra Tostado said. “This storm really packed a punch.” PG&E expects more power lines to go down as the day progresses.
An Evacuation of 180 homes in the city of Duarte, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, was ordered as of 7:00 a.m. this morning because the homes were right below a burn scar. Voluntary evacuation orders were issued as well for Camarillo Springs Divisions A, B, C and D beginning 8 a.m. Friday, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s office issued an evacuation warning for the greater Sherpa Fire burn area.
From canceled flights, horse races and closed highways, to the cancellation of Pasadena’s Black History Month parade on Saturday, Californians are preparing for the worst as this storm moves toward the northern regions of the state. It will be followed by a second atmospheric river that is expected to hit Monday in Northern California, with its heaviest rainfall expected to occur north of San Francisco and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
