Another day of hard-driving rain and powerful winds lashed the Bay Area on Monday, forcing evacuations in Santa Cruz and Monterey County, as the latest in a powerful set of storms announced its presence.
National Weather Service forecasters expect storm to dump several more inches of rain, create more flooding concerns and bringing winds that felled trees and power lines. The storm is the latest in a series of them that have been powered by an atmospheric river.
According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, 12 people have died in storms across the state. On Sunday, President Biden declared a disaster in California, making the state eligible for federal aid.
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Strong thunderstorms possible after midnight
In a briefing late Monday, the National Weather Service said there was potential for strong thunderstorms after midnight.
The initial round of thunderstorms is expected to arrive between 1 and 4 a.m., and scattered thunderstorms are possible into Tuesday afternoon, according to the agency.
The weather service said hazards will include lightning, strong to locally damaging wind, hail and localized flooding. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are likely and there is even a small chance – less than 5 percent – for a tornado, especially along the coast.
Flash flooding is also possible if storms impact a burn scar or other “hydrologically sensitive areas.”
— Updated 10:20 p.m.
National Weather Service releases 24-hour rainfall totals
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, 24-hour precipitation totals included 2.42 inches in Gilroy, 2.23 inches in Santa Rosa, 1.8 inches in Oakland and Napa, 1.77 inches in Redwood City, 1.44 inches in San Francisco, 1.18 inches in Fremont, 1.14 inches in Concord and 1.11 inches in Livermore, according to the National Weather Service.
— Updated 9:10 p.m.
Flooding reported near historic Monterey County mission
Along the Carmel River near the historic mission, the Mission Fields neighborhood began flooding Monday night. By 9 p.m., water was creeping up driveways to doorways.
The sound of pumps filled the air as streets filled with water, which some residents said was at least a foot deep.
One resident who didn’t want to be named said she evacuated earlier in the day but returned to check on things. After seeing the rising waters, she was ready to leave again.
The neighborhood near Rio Road and Highway 101 previously flooded in January 2021, according to news reports.
— Updated 9 p.m.
Highway 101 reopens in Gilroy
Following an hours-long closure due to flooding, Highway 101 reopened Monday night in Gilroy.
Southbound lanes of the freeway were closed just before noon at Mesa Road just south of Monterey Highway.
Flooding was also reported on Bolsa Road between Travel Park Circle and Carnadero Avenue.
— Updated 8:45 p.m.
Monterey County expands evacuation order
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office on Monday night expanded an evacuation order for low-lying areas of the Carmel River until further notice. An emergency shelter is available at the Monterey County Fairgrounds at 2004 Fairground Road in Monterey and a temporary evacuation point is available at the Carmel Valley Library at 65 West Carmel Valley Road. The temporary evacuation point is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For animal sheltering, residents can contact the SPCA at 831-373-2631 or 831-646-5534.
— Updated 8:40 p.m.
Evacuation warnings issued in Santa Clara County
On Monday, Santa Clara County issued evacuation warnings to residents near Bolsa Road and Highway 101.
Areas under the warning included:
- South of Highway 152, east of Highway 101
- South of Pacheco Pass and east of Highway 101
- South of Luchessa Avenue and east of Thomas Road
- East of Santa Teresa Boulevard to Castro Valley Road
- North of Castro Valley Road to Luchessa Avenue
- North of Highway 25 between Highway 101 and Bloomfield Road
- West of Bloomfield Avenue between Highway 25 and Pacheco Pass
- East of Highway 101 to Pacheco Pass
In an advisory, the county urged residents to gather household members, pets, personal items, important documents, prescription medication, a change of clothes, nonperishable foods, water, extra batteries, flashlights and phone chargers, and to prepare to evacuate.
— Updated 8:15 p.m.
Even mail delivery has been slammed by storm
The Capitola Post Office is taking on extra mail because of the storm, because the the U.S. Postal Service had to halt operations in Soquel because of the floods and evacuation orders.
Retail and post office box services offered in Soquel will now go to the Capitola office, located at 826 Bay Ave. until the evacuations are lifted. Regular delivery will not be interrupted in Soquel as long as the roads remain passable and safe, according to the USPS.
— Updated 2:15 p.m.
PG&E sub-contractor dies in Mendocino County
A one-time resident of San Jose who was in Mendocino County after being contracted by Pacific Gas & Electric to clear vegetation from recent storms died Saturday, according to mendofever.com, a Mendocino County news source that cited the California Highway Patrol.
Edgar Castillo, 37, of Elk Grove, died after the vehicle struck a guard rail while making a turn, overturned, and went down a roadside embankment.
A family member in an email said Castillo was born and raised in San Jose and that he left behind a family of six. An online fundraiser created to help with the family’s expenses had raised nearly $15,000 since Sunday.
— Updated 1:15 p.m.
Southern California evacuations growing
The storm is not only wreaking havoc in the Bay Area. Southern California residents are under siege, too.
The Associated Press reported that authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire community of Montecito, California in Santa Barbara County. That order came on the fifth anniversary of the day mudslides in that area killed more than a dozen people.
— Updated 1:10 p.m.
City of Martinez declares local emergency
The City of Martinez declared a local emergency Monday, so that it will receive additional financial resources to recover from the storms. The city already was banking on financial help to comes its way its way after Gov. Newsom declared a State of the Emergency on Jan. 4.
Martinez has had to deal with seven mudslides, and downed trees at six locations, said Acting Asst. Commissioner Lauren Sugayan, who announced the declaration. The city also suffered major intersection flooding at Brown Street between Pacheco and La Salle streets; Alhambra Avenue at Highway 4; Golden Hills Park at Bernice Lane and Blue Ridge Drive; and the Martinez Marina.
— Updated 12:50 p.m.
Knee-deep water on Highway 101 in Gilroy
Uvas Creek sent flood waters knee-deep across the four lanes of Highway 101 south of Gilroy, stranding several cars and blocking traffic.
Tian Chong took off his socks and shoes and rolled up his pants to help push his minivan that was stranded in the middle of the southbound lanes.
“I was blocking the rest of the people,” Chong said. “It was cold!”
Southbound Highway 101 was closed at Mesa Road, just south of the Monterey Highway, according to Gilroy police. Bolsa Road also had flooded between Travel Park Circle and Carnadero Avenue.
— Updated 12:25 p.m.
More evacuations ordered in Monterey County
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for residents of the Bolsa Knolls neighborhood (just outside north Salinas in unincorporated Monterey County) because of flooding from the Santa Rita Creek. Residents and businesses north of Russell Road; east of Bellinzona Road; south of St Moritz Way; west of San Juan Grade; and West of Paul Ave; including England Avenue, Cornwall Street, Newlyn Street, Denner Road, Russell and Rogge Road all were under the order.
An updated evacuation map can be found here.
— Updated 12:20 p.m.
Pinnacles National Park still closed Monday
Extremely hazardous conditions kept roads and trails kept Pinnacles National Park closed all day Monday, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
“Having nearly exceeded our annual rainfall averages less than 10 days into the new year, most trail and road stream crossings are extremely swollen and moving quickly and extremely strong wind gusts of up to 60 mph are causing rocks and tees to fall on rods and trails,” the park service statement read. “The Pinnacles Campground will remain open to visitors with existing reservations, though park trails and roads are still closed to everyone — campers included — beyond the campground. Pinnacles will remain closed until hazards are mitigated.”
— Updated 12:10 p.m.
Southbound Highway 101 closed in Gilroy
Gilroy police said that southbound Highway 101 had been closed at Mesa Road just south of Monterey Highway due to flooding. Bolsa Road was also flooding between Travel Park Circle and Carnadero Avenue.
There was no estimated time of reopening for the stretch of highway.
— Updated 12:05 p.m.
New evacuation warnings in Watsonville
City officials added an evacuation warning for residents and businesses from state Highway 1 to Main Street. The order affects those on Ohlone Parkway, Industrial Road, Harvest Drive, Walker Street and Rodriguez Street, and all small residential roadways that may be in their area.
Areas east of Freedom Boulevard from Airport Boulevard to Atkinson Lane were ordered evacuated earlier, as were those from East Lake Avenue to the Pajaro River.
— Updated 11:25 a.m.
Overflow channel in San Jose “working good”
An overflow channel at the Guadalupe River on the edge of downtown San Jose seemed to be working as expected, officials said on Monday morning. The river crested with heavy rains, but the area had avoided flooding.
“The whole system is working good right now,” said Steve Holmes, executive director of the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition. He stood on St. John Street watching the flow at 9:30 a.m.
— Updated 10:05 a.m.
Power outages pop up around Peninsula
Pacific Gas & Electric teams were once again scrambling to put power back on in homes and businesses that have been deprived of it because of the storm.
The utility said the Peninsula was home to about 30% of the region’s blackouts, with 4,771 customers in the dark. Overall, 16,095 Bay Area customers needed their power restored.
The number also was huge in the North Bay, with 8,413 homes and businesses affected. The utility said the power also was out for 2,076 customers in the East Bay, 748 in the South Bay and 87 in San Francisco.
— Updated 9:40 a.m.
Evacuations announced in Watsonville
The City of Watsonville told residents in a large swath of its city to evacuate for higher ground. The evacuation area, runs from E. Lake Avenue in the north part of the city to the Pajaro River in the south. It also includes parts of Sakata Lane, Walker and Grove streets, and the entire area west to east from Union Street to Bridge Street.
Riverside Road from Main Street to Blackburn Street also was evacuated.
— Updated 9:25 a.m.
A river in Santa Cruz County is dangerously high
The San Lorenzo River hit 23.18 feet at 6:15 a.m. on Monday, nearly 2 feet higher than the level that indicates a major flood stage (21.76). On New Year’s Eve, the flood level reached 22.15 feet.
Water rose just inches from the bottom of two bridges, including the historic Covered Bridge. County officials ordered evacuations that began early Monday in the Felton Grove neighborhood near the Covered Bridge and the Paradise Park area down river near Santa Cruz.
The flooding created havoc for the San Lorenzo Valley’s many commuters, some of whom could not reach Highway 17.
— Updated 8:50 a.m.
24-hour rainfall totals
The wettest spot in the Bay Area during the 24 hours leading up to 8 a.m. was Ben Lomond in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which recorded 4.39 inches. Just behind was Loma Prieta with 4.06 inches. On Mount Umunhum, 3.6 inches fell.
Santa Rosa received 2.5 inches of rain, and Petaluma had 2 inches, the highest figures in Sonoma County. The San Francisco International Airport recorded 1.58 inches and the Oakland International Airport had 1.37 inches. Concord received 1.12 inches, and San Jose received 0.83 inches.
— Updated 8:35 a.m.
Evacuation shelters open up
With evacuations occurring in Santa Cruz County, the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos announced it would be a shelter for those fleeing for safer ground.
The college is located at 6500 Soquel Dr. It opened for evacuees at 8 a.m., with the cafeteria in the 900 building serving as the main location for checking in and gathering. College spokeswoman Kristin Fabos in a statement said the college will have approximately 100 cots available, as well as food, drinks and other amenities.
Other areas on the campus that will be available for evacuees include parking lot K for RV and trailer parking; parking structure P for overnight car parking; shower facilities at the campus’ Health and Wellness Center and Gymnasium; and laundry facilities.
The campus evacuation center will remain open until further notice.
— Updated 8:20 a.m.
Flight cancellations at San Francisco International Airport
Air travel through the biggest Bay Area airports has been a challenge during the series of storms, and Monday created more issues.
At San Francisco International Airport, 11 cancellations of flights within, into or out of the United States already had been announced by 7:45 a.m. Another 49 flights were delayed.
Travel seemed more promising at Mineta San Jose Airport and Oakland International Airport. Only one flight had been cancelled out of Oakland and none from San Jose. Oakland listed 14 delays early Monday, while San Jose listed 18 delays.
— Updated 7:45 a.m.
Evacuations ordered as floodwaters rise
Rising water levels in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties brought evacuation orders from safety officials in each county.
In Santa Cruz County, the San Lorenzo River went above major flood stage and was still rising. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued orders that included areas north of Fairway Drive, south of Glen Haven Road, east of Soquel San Jose Road and west of the Eight Verse Trail Loop. Residents in those areas were ordered to get out of the area and to seek higher ground.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for the low-lying areas of the Carmel River. The county opened an emergency shelter for evacuated residents in the Monterey County Fairgrounds located at 2004 Fairground Road.
— Updated 7:20 a.m.
Traffic troubles slow morning commute
The California Highway Patrol closed state southbound Highway 13 early Monday after a tree fell down and blocked lanes near the Moraga Avenue exit. Crews cleaned up the mess but traffic remained slow through the area for much of the morning.
A slide also blocked both lanes of northbound state Highway 9 just north of Glen Arbor in Santa Cruz County. And both directions of Highway 1 were closed from Division to Oso Flasco near Guadalupe because of flooding.
—Updated 7 a.m.
BART running slowly
BART put out an advisory that its trains will be running slower than usual because of the wet weather and encouraged commuters to add 20 minutes to their planned travel time. Trains have been running slower than usual since the onset of the previous atmospheric river last week.
— Updated 6:30 a.m.
Bay Area News Group staff writers Julia Sulek and John Woolfolk and the Monterey Herald contributed to this report.
