A bomb cyclone slammed into Northern California, packing hurricane-like winds that knocked down power lines, shattered windows in downtown San Francisco and caused a big rig to overturn on the Bay Bridge to Oakland.
The system led to at least one death in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, and grounded flights at San Francisco International Airport. And a train between Oakland and Sacramento derailed after contact with a tree, shutting service just before the evening commute.
“This was a violent, sudden windstorm,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles. “We’re seeing impacts probably that are similar to a strong tropical storm or a weak hurricane.”
The rapidly strengthening low-pressure system brought 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers) wind gusts and driving rain across the region, Swain said in a YouTube video post Tuesday. By 5:50 p.m. local time Tuesday, about 260,000 homes and businesses across the state had lost power, according to PowerOutage.us.
California has been hammered by a series of storms known as atmospheric rivers since late December, bringing flooding rains and record snowfalls across the Sierra Nevada and other mountains. More than 20 people have died and billions of dollars in damages and losses have mounted from collapsed roads, inundated homes and power outages.
Santa Cruz County, about 75 miles south of San Francisco, on Tuesday again appeared to suffer the brunt of an atmospheric river. Reports of downed electrical lines and car crashes swamped the county’s fire dispatch center.
In the Central Valley’s Tulare County, authorities ordered evacuations in advance of the storm after levee breaches over the past week raised the prospect of wider flooding. The state prepositioned swift-water rescue crews, just in case.
The heaviest rainfall was expected Tuesday but the storm will linger through late Wednesday as it pushes into Nevada and Arizona.
The system led to at least one death in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, and grounded flights at San Francisco International Airport. And a train between Oakland and Sacramento derailed after contact with a tree, shutting service just before the evening commute.
“This was a violent, sudden windstorm,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles. “We’re seeing impacts probably that are similar to a strong tropical storm or a weak hurricane.”
The rapidly strengthening low-pressure system brought 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers) wind gusts and driving rain across the region, Swain said in a YouTube video post Tuesday. By 5:50 p.m. local time Tuesday, about 260,000 homes and businesses across the state had lost power, according to PowerOutage.us.
California has been hammered by a series of storms known as atmospheric rivers since late December, bringing flooding rains and record snowfalls across the Sierra Nevada and other mountains. More than 20 people have died and billions of dollars in damages and losses have mounted from collapsed roads, inundated homes and power outages.
Santa Cruz County, about 75 miles south of San Francisco, on Tuesday again appeared to suffer the brunt of an atmospheric river. Reports of downed electrical lines and car crashes swamped the county’s fire dispatch center.
In the Central Valley’s Tulare County, authorities ordered evacuations in advance of the storm after levee breaches over the past week raised the prospect of wider flooding. The state prepositioned swift-water rescue crews, just in case.
The heaviest rainfall was expected Tuesday but the storm will linger through late Wednesday as it pushes into Nevada and Arizona.