CNN reports four dead and thousands evacuated after an El Nino-generated winter storm hit most of California, with reports comparing it to a typhoon. Interstates were shut and heavy surf to 40 feet eroded beaches. Up to 13 inches of rain fell in Santa Barbara. Winds of up to 80 mph caused devastation. The Pajaro River broke through a levee, forcing many in the town of the same name to evacuate and flooding farmland. One hundred homes were flooded and residents evacuated in Willows and Guerneville. In Napa Valley, over 5,000 acres of vineyards was flooded. In Ventura County, crop damage was estimated at $ 5 million.Over 144,000 customers in Northern California lost power. Storms are expected to continue into March, if not April.
On early 5 February, we received this report from Half Moon Bay: "The rains and wind were almost unbelievable Monday. Tuesday, there was flooding in areas where one doesn't expect it -- the major freeways. All of them, at least on the Peninsula, had stretches closed. I think it was widespread all over the Bay Area. I saw on TV (2/4) that Big Sur was isolated as a couple (or more) of stretches of Highway 1 had simply washed away and weren't there any more. People (probably mostly tourists) were brought out of Big Sur by helicopter. One friend who works for a computer company in Menlo Park said he couldn't get out of the parking lot exits (two) because traffic was completely stalled outside of the lots. The major roads nearby were impassible, on Tuesday. This happened after he arrived at work. In a subsequent conversation, he was only able to get home (San Jose) by taking a bridge over the San Francisco Bay and going home through the East Bay roads rather than the Peninsula. For a time, there was no way to get to San Francisco or Santa Cruz from here (Half Moon Bay) as Highway 1 was closed to the north at Devil's Slide and to the south at Davenport. The road out of here to the east (Highway 92) was reported to have only one lane open. Later I saw a report in the San Mateo County Times that Highway 92 had been closed. It links Half Moon Bay with the rest of the county. The only other road out of here (a minor highway) was also closed. My power flickered all day Monday and I stayed off the computer. It would get lost and them come back on, too. On Monday, early reports predicted gusts to 60 mph/ but the highest clocked in the Bay Area was 80 mph. here on the Coast.
We're expecting more of the same -- 3 more storms in the next couple or three days. Monday's was reported to be slow moving. These others will pass more quickly. It's raining now, early Thurs. morn. 1/5."--C. W. Gilbert <blazing@igc.apc.org>