California experiences heavy storms, power outages

A+student+stands+in+a+small+puddle+near+the+Quad.+Although+most+of+the+storms+effects+are+lessening+on+campus%2C+the+Sierra+Nevada+mountains+are+still+experiencing+heavy+blizzards.

Tiffany Wong

A student stands in a small puddle near the Quad. Although most of the storms’ effects are lessening on campus, the Sierra Nevada mountains are still experiencing heavy blizzards.

by Tiffany Wong, Aquila Copy Editor

California is finally witnessing some temporary relief for its current drought spell in the form of snow, wind and the heaviest rainstorms the state has experienced in months.

Storms blowing in from the Pacific Ocean first caused problems for Bay Area residents last Tuesday; according to PG&E, approximately 12,515 customers lost power in their homes, an incident believed to be caused by heavy rain and wind in a region spanning both the Santa Clara and Alameda counties.

Heavy rainfall caused the Russian River, which runs through the Mendocino and Sonoma counties, to overflow, resulting in 13 inches of rain in Sonoma County and prompting individuals living near the waterway to evacuate their homes. The National Weather Service also issued a coastal flood advisory from last Tuesday through last Friday.

Another storm hit the Bay Area last Friday and caused power outages in many Bay Area cities, including Los Gatos, Oakland and San Jose. On Saturday, National Park Service officials conducted an evacuation of Yosemite Valley after the Merced River overflooded.

“My WiFi was down in the morning,” sophomore Clarissa Wang, who lives in Mountain View, said. “It wasn’t down for very long, so my homework and debate work weren’t affected. I also live in an area that’s easily accessible, unlike Santa Cruz, so there were no problems travelling to places either.”

The severe weekend weather also resulted in four deaths; a 57-year-old San Leandro resident lost control of his vehicle while driving and crashed near the Oakland International Airport, a motorcyclist crashed on Interstate 880, a San Ramon resident died after a tree fell on her at a golf course and a Novato resident swerved off a road and into a creek in Marin County.

In the Bay Area, Sunday saw a break from the storms; however, the Sierra Nevada area experienced conditions of heavy rainfall and snowfall amounting to around 20 feet of snow on the mountains’ peaks, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. Parts of the California section of Interstate 80 closed after a blizzard caused snow buildup on the highway.

Rainfall began again on Monday, and the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for the Napa and Marin counties yesterday. The announcement encouraged Ross Valley and San Anselmo residents to leave the Corte Madera Creek valley and to seek shelter at higher ground.

Rockslides in Santa Cruz also damaged a KGO-TV news van on Highway 17 when an avalanche of rocks and mud rolled down and trapped the driver in his vehicle.

”[I normally drive] down 1 and up 17. My commute was terrible [on Monday],” upper school history teacher Mark Janda said. “I left home at 5:20 a.m. and I got here at 7:50 a.m. It normally takes me about 35 minutes to get here, [but] it took two and a half hours instead today. It took me almost an hour and a half to go just the first 12 miles.”

While storms have continued through today the National Weather Service predicts an end to the rainfall as early as Thursday and also forecasts an upcoming rain-free weekend.