Rain and strong winds swept across California’s Bay Area on Friday as the first major storm of the season moved into the region, disrupting travel and raising concerns about flooding along the shoreline.
The National Weather Service said a cold front was producing periods of moderate rain and brief, heavy downpours across San Francisco, Oakland, the North Bay, East Bay and South Bay. The system was expected to clear the Bay Area by around 3pm, although scattered showers were likely to continue into the evening.
Forecasters warned that the heaviest rain could overwhelm poor-drainage areas and cause localised flooding on roads. Rainfall projections ranged from about 0.25in in the South Bay to 1.25in in the coastal hills.
Winds of up to 55 to 65mph were recorded across exposed peaks, with gusts of about 55mph along the coast, the weather service said. The conditions brought down branches and trees and led to isolated power outages, while nuisance flooding was reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains and elsewhere.
High tides added to the flood risk around San Francisco, San Pablo and Monterey bays. The National Weather Service said the tide at San Francisco was expected to reach 1.5ft above normal, with storm surge further increasing the threat to low-lying bayside areas.
The storm also affected air travel. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted some inbound flights to San Francisco International Airport because of the wind, while domestic flights faced average delays of more than two hours.
Conditions along the Pacific coast were expected to deteriorate further over the weekend, with a high surf warning in effect. Waves of up to 35ft were forecast at exposed beaches, with even larger sets possible at favoured breakpoints, prompting warnings about dangerous surf and strong rip currents.
The weather service said further periods of rain were expected across the Bay Area next week as additional fronts move through the region.
