Gusty weather buffets Bay Area; power knocked out to thousands of PG&E customers
Thousands of PG&E customers were without power in the Bay Area Thursday afternoon as wind gusts of 50 mph and higher blew through the region.
About 3,810 customers were without power as of 2 p.m., most of them in the East Bay, PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said.
Outages were affecting 2,534 customers in the East Bay, another 500 in the South Bay, about 400 in the North Bay, 250 along the Peninsula, and 122 in San Francisco, Sarkissian said.
BART service was also affected by the outages in two different East Bay locations earlier Thursday. Service was stopped for about an hour through the tunnel in the Berkeley hills due to an outage, and trains also had to stop between the Castro Valley and West Dublin/Pleasanton stations. Service has since resumed at both locations.
A fallen tree brought down power lines on Hwy 35 between Hwy 9 and Alpine Road in Santa Clara County, according to Calfire units in the South Bay. The road was expected to be closed into the afternoon.
CAL FIRE Engine 1769 out of Saratoga Summit and @PGE_SFPeninsula are at the scene of a tree across power lines on Hwy 35 between Hwy 9 and Alpine Road. That section of Hwy 35 in @sccounty will be closed most of the afternoon. #CaWx pic.twitter.com/Nm1OHImzaU
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) March 14, 2024
The National Weather Service said Wind Advisories were in effect for the Marin County coast, North Bay interior mountains, East Bay hills, Santa Clara County hills, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. The advisory was expanded on Wednesday and the weather service extended it on Thursday until 5 p.m. Friday.
The highest wind gust in the region was recorded on Mt. Diablo at 72 mph, while St. Helena had a reported gust of 62 mph and an area in the Oakland foothills had a 50 mph gust, National Weather Service meteorologist Brayden Murdock said.
Besides the power outages, no other major impacts were reported in the Bay Area from the wind gusts, which were strongest at elevations of 1,500 feet and higher.
"They're more focused on the higher elevations and not a whole lot of people live up there," Murdock said.
The windy weather will taper off by Thursday evening at lower elevations in the region and by Friday morning at higher elevations, he said.
Look out for strong winds today, especially in the mountains and hills where gusts could exceed 45 mph. Watch out for falling branches and secure loose items that may blow about. Stay safe! #cawx pic.twitter.com/GVivBwak4a
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) March 14, 2024
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Wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and possibly blow down trees or tree limbs resulting in power outages, the weather service said. Drivers were urged to use caution, especially when driving a high-profile vehicle.
"While the recent rain and lack of critically low humidity will help mitigate any potential fire threat, power outages and tree damage will be possible," said KPIX Meteorologist Paul Heggen.
High temperatures Thursday were expected to reach the 70s inland with upper 60s along the immediate coast and bays. Lows will be in the 40s to low 50s.
The warming trend will continue with temperatures well into the 70s inland through early next week, said Heggen, who added that the next chance of rain won't arrive until the end of next week.