Bay Area Storms Leave Thousands Without Power, Disrupt Holiday Travel

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Thousands woke up without power Wednesday morning after a powerful storm slammed into the Bay Area, toppling trees and complicating holiday travel.

The North Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay were hardest hit. Wind gusts reached 108 mph in Marin County, causing outages in San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Half Moon Bay. Tens of thousands in Campbell and Saratoga are also without power. Coastal areas along Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties are largely in the dark, according to PG&E’s outage maps.

Further east, Caltrans implemented chain controls on Interstate 80 over Donner Pass. The Sierra Nevada is receiving several feet of snow, a welcome sight for Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts.

Winds and rain will lessen throughout Wednesday across the Bay Area, but don’t expect a long break.Another strong storm front is forecast to arrive Wednesday night, potentially bringing more power outages and wind damage.

“It’s going to be very similar to last night,” said National Weather service meteorologist Brian Garcia. “Essentially, a rinse, lather, and repeat – but maybe 5% less intense.”

The storm dropped about half an inch of rain Tuesday night into Wednesday morning over the East Bay’s low-lying areas, with an inch recorded in the Oakland Hills. san Francisco received .4 inches, while Fremont, milpitas, and Sa