The rain showers continuing to soak the Bay Area this week left two people dead Thursday after they were found inside a submerged car in Millbrae, leading authorities to restate warnings about hazardous driving conditions and flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
The storm also left its mark on Santa Cruz County. And the rain isn’t finished, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast is much of the same for Santa Cruz County into next week. Rain and showers are in the forecast through Dec. 30, according to the NWS.
Snow storms also inundated the Sierra Nevada region and the weather service continued to discourage mountain travel this weekend due to the onslaught of reduced visibility, travel delays and possible white-out conditions.
On Thursday morning, two people were found dead inside a vehicle submerged in a flooded underpass in Millbrae. Authorities said another person trapped on top of their own flooded car had called in for help; arriving rescuers spotted the second car, submerged in the water.
Officials said that drivers should exercise extreme caution when they encounter flooded roadways: “If you see standing water and if you’re not sure of the depth, don’t attempt to cross it,” said San Mateo County Sheriff’s Detective Javier Acosta. “It’s not worth it.”
The wet weather began continued after a low-pressure system traveled from British Columbia to the coast near the Oregon-California border and started pushing moisture into the area earlier in the week, according to the weather service.
Another weather system was expected to move into the region Friday evening and last into Saturday afternoon, making a rainy Christmas Eve and Christmas morning likely. Additional chances of rain were expected Sunday through Thursday of next week.
The showers were expected to be “fairly uniform” across the Bay Area, with another half an inch or so of precipitation expected across the region through Thursday night, according to NWS forecaster Sean Miller. There will be a chance for as much as 1 inch of rain on Friday, with the potential for half an inch or less of rain next week between Tuesday and Thursday.
Bonny Doon reported 2.47 inches of rain Thursday, according to a Sentinel weather observer. The season total since Oct. 1 now reads 36.27 inches. Last year on this date, Bonny Doon was at 6.16 inches.
Other Santa Cruz County rain amounts include: 2.20 inches in Ben Lomond, 1.81 inches in Scotts Valley, 1.73 inches in Happy Valley, 0.98 in La Selva Beach, 0.90 inches in Soquel and 0.65 inches at Natural Bridges.
Lower elevations in the Bay Area, including in the South Bay, East Bay and interior San Francisco Bay, may get a total of 1 to 3 inches of rain this week. The Santa Cruz Mountains and North Bay mountains were expected to receive 5 to 6 inches of rain while the North Bay valleys could get between 2 and 3½ inches of rain.
As of 1:25 p.m. Thursday, 48-hour rainfall totals included: 4.41 inches at Scott Creek, 4.17 inches at Mount Diablo, 3.34 inches in Kentfield, 3.27 inches at Mill Valley at Mount Tamalpais, 3.04 inches at the Ben Lomond landfill, 2.87 inches at the San Francisco International Airport, 2.41 inches at the Oakland International Airport, 1.48 inches in Redwood City and 0.43 inches at the San Jose International Airport.
Temperatures were expected to be milder through the weekend, with highs from the 50s to the lower 60s and lows in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. Wind gusts could reach 25 to 35 mph in the hills and higher peaks.
There were reports of roadway flooding in coastal areas in San Mateo County. Cal Fire CZU posted video Thursday morning of flooding in an El Granada neighborhood, in which officials were knee-deep in rain water. A large tree blocked traffic in all lanes of northbound Highway 13 in Oakland shortly after 7 a.m.
A mudslide was also reported on Westover Drive in the Oakland Hills.
The Sierra Nevada was expected to receive at least 4 to 5 more feet of snow through through the weekend, with amounts up to 9 feet in elevations over 8,000 feet, according to the weather service. Throughout the week, Echo Pass was expected to get 48 to 60 inches of snow, Tioga Pass was forecast to receive 24 to 36 inches and Donner Pass, Caron Pass, Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass could get 80 to 100 inches.
As of Thursday morning, 24-hour snow totals included: 9 inches at Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood, 8 inches at Northstar and Heavenly and 6 inches at Palisades Tahoe and Donner Summit.
The snow storm was expected to lighten up by Friday afternoon before ramping up again Friday night into Saturday. The snowfall could weaken Sunday night, with additional chances of snow through next Thursday.
The weather service highly discouraged mountain travel through the weekend, with potential risks including a significant reduction in visibility, road closures and travel delays.
“Everything you can think of with hazardous mountain travel with feet of snow, it’s probably happening,” said NWS forecaster Emily Heller.
The strongest winds were expected to hit the Lake Tahoe region through Saturday night, with gusts between 40 to 50 mph over the mountains that could lead to a reduction in visibility in combination with the falling snow.
“Anyone traveling this holiday over the mountains need to be prepared for winter driving conditions, have warm clothes, extra food and water, chains and be prepared to be turned around in case the roads close,” Heller said. “You should have an emergency kit in your vehicle in case you get stuck.”
Sentinel Assistant City Editor Donald Fukui and the National Weather Service contribute to this report.
