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After a weekend of record-breaking rainfall to the Bay Area that left flooded streets, toppled trees and thousands without power, Cal Fire has lifted all evacuation orders in San Mateo County.
Redwood City received 4.28 inches of rain during Sunday’s “atmospheric river” storm, and across San Mateo County, rainfall measurements ranged from 0.98 inches in South San Mateo to 8.62 inches in Spring Valley, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The Port of Redwood City recorded wind gusts of up to 40 mph.
“This is the second wettest day of October for Redwood City in our climate record,” said meteorologist Brayden Murdock of the NWS. According to the record, which dates back to the 1960s, yesterday was also the third all-time wettest day in Redwood City history, said Murdock. The record—4.88 inches—was set on Oct. 13, 1962.
Peninsula cities were hit hardest by power outages, with upward of 46,000 customers losing power Sunday afternoon. Currently, more than 2,600 Redwood City residents are affected, according to the latest counts from PG&E's outage map.
Residents of the Farm Hills neighborhood have been without electricity for nearly 24 hours, and Judith Sullivan reported that firefighters are responding to a downed powerline on Whipple Avenue. San Mateo County firefighters responded Sunday to a pole fire after a tree collapsed on Cañada Road in Redwood City, according to the Cal Fire CZU’s Twitter account.
The Riekes Center, a nonprofit that offers fitness, music and creativity-related enrichment in North Fair Oaks, experienced a power outage and flooding in its parking lot. The facility was closed today for cleanup, according to Romy Colombatto, spokesperson at the Riekes Center. Power has since been restored, and the Center plans to reopen tomorrow.
According to Jan Null, a consulting meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services, this storm was the Bay Area’s third strongest since 1950 and the strongest in 26 years. Redwood City also saw near-record-breaking rainfall.
Even though the rains have subsided, Murdock said the storm isn’t quite over yet.
“The beaches and waters right now are very dangerous,” he said, adding that high surf warnings remain in place until 11 a.m. tomorrow morning. “We could see 30-foot waves … We don’t even recommend you going to the beach,” he said.
Record-chasing rains notwithstanding, California remains in a state of drought.
“It is a nice leap forward,” Murdock said. But after a year in which much of California received only 40% of their average rainfall, it’s going to take more than Sunday’s rainfall to end the drought.
“It’s one step forward after taking three steps back,” he added. “If we get more of these, we’ll be very happy. But this isn’t exactly a one-storm fix.”
Of course, this is only the beginning of California’s wet season, which expects the heaviest rain and snowfall in December, January and February.
Also known as “atmospheric rivers,” these rainstorms are not uncommon in the Bay Area, said Brooke Bingaman, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service. But Sunday’s downpour was unusual because it hit “so early in our wet season,” she added.
On Sunday, San Mateo County issued a public emergency notice, including tips to help residents prepare for the coming winter months.
“Now is the time to check roof drains and downspouts to make sure they are clear of debris,” said Dan Belville, head of the County’s Department of Emergency Management. “And make sure you have flashlights with fresh batteries and other essentials handy. The time to discover you need emergency supplies is before you need them."
The Almanac and Bay City News contributed to this report.
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Leah Worthington is the lead reporter at the Redwood City Pulse, a local news site dedicated to providing accurate and timely news to the Redwood City community. Leah can be reached at lworthington@rwcpulse.com, on Twitter, and by phone at 650-888-3794. To read more stories about Redwood City, subscribe to our daily Express newsletter on rwcpulse.com.
