Plan B Forum

I'm seeing stories on the news of fallen trees, collapsed roofs and floods with winds reaching 80 mph. Some of this is within a couple miles from me. If you go by what you see on the news, you would think most of us are without electricity and trapped in our homes bracing for flooding and strong winds and/or heading for a higher ground.

Storm delivers impressive rain totals to Bay Area

SAN JOSE -- The major storm that pounded the Bay Area on Thursday delivered some impressive rainfall totals, allowing some cities to record the wettest December in more than a decade.

And more rain is expected today and next week, though it's not expected to rival Thursday's storm.

Thursday's deluge served up some eye-popping totals throughout the Bay Area, including 3.39 inches in San Jose, 4.26 inches in Redwood City, 3.46 inches in San Francisco and 3.12 inches in Oakland.

So far this month San Jose has received 5.78 inches of rain, the most since 2002 when the city recorded 6.6 inches. Similarly, San Francisco airport has received 7.24 inches this month, the most since 2005.

So far this rainfall season, San Jose has registered 8.33 inches of rain, more than twice the average. San Francisco has received 10.59 inches (about 175 percent of normal), and Oakland 8.77 inches (174 percent of normal.)

While the downpour was a welcome sight, scientists say one deluge is not enough to pull the state out of three years of drought.

But it's a step in the right direction.

San Jose normally receives 42.9 inches of rain in an average three-year period, for example. Between June 2011 and June 2014, it received just 22.8 inches, leaving the city 20 inches short. Similarly, San Francisco is 19 inches behind, Oakland 24 inches.

By one Department of Water Resources estimate, California will need eight major storm systems this winter like last week's and this week's to fill reservoirs and end the drought. With two down, six more are needed by April.

"We've been building deficits for several years," meteorologist Logan Johnson said earlier this week. "This is absolutely a step in the right direction."

Thursday's rain caused widespread flooding and power outages in the Bay Area as trees and power lines came down.

Fallen trees crushed cars in San Jose and San Leandro and pinned a boy's arm in a Santa Cruz schoolyard.

Power was knocked out for more than 440,000 PG&E customers throughout California, including 208,000 in the Bay Area. As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, about 2,500 customers in the Bay Area were still without power, and the utility estimates that power will be restored for almost all remaining customers by late Friday night.

The storm was responsible for the collapse of a 50-by-50 foot section of roof at a Safeway supermarket in San Jose. At a flooded mobile home park in Redwood City, residents were being evacuated by firefighters with a small boat.

Although the main front has moved through the Bay Area, more showers are expected Friday, according to Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the weather service. The weekend should offer "really nice" days, with another system developing Sunday night. The Bay Area could see more rain Monday through Wednesday, but nowhere near as intense as Thursday's deluge, Henderson said.

Thursday's deluge served up some eye-popping totals throughout the Bay Area, including 3.39 inches in San Jose, 4.26 inches in Redwood City, 3.46 inches in San Francisco and 3.12 inches in Oakland.

So far this month San Jose has received 5.78 inches of rain, the most since 2002 when the city recorded 6.6 inches. Similarly, San Francisco airport has received 7.24 inches this month, the most since 2005.

Lord Jim wrote:We lost power for about an hour yesterday, but otherwise no problems...

Storm delivers impressive rain totals to Bay Area

SAN JOSE -- The major storm that pounded the Bay Area on Thursday delivered some impressive rainfall totals, allowing some cities to record the wettest December in more than a decade.

And more rain is expected today and next week, though it's not expected to rival Thursday's storm.

Thursday's deluge served up some eye-popping totals throughout the Bay Area, including 3.39 inches in San Jose, 4.26 inches in Redwood City, 3.46 inches in San Francisco and 3.12 inches in Oakland.

So far this month San Jose has received 5.78 inches of rain, the most since 2002 when the city recorded 6.6 inches. Similarly, San Francisco airport has received 7.24 inches this month, the most since 2005.

So far this rainfall season, San Jose has registered 8.33 inches of rain, more than twice the average. San Francisco has received 10.59 inches (about 175 percent of normal), and Oakland 8.77 inches (174 percent of normal.)

While the downpour was a welcome sight, scientists say one deluge is not enough to pull the state out of three years of drought.

But it's a step in the right direction.

San Jose normally receives 42.9 inches of rain in an average three-year period, for example. Between June 2011 and June 2014, it received just 22.8 inches, leaving the city 20 inches short. Similarly, San Francisco is 19 inches behind, Oakland 24 inches.

By one Department of Water Resources estimate, California will need eight major storm systems this winter like last week's and this week's to fill reservoirs and end the drought. With two down, six more are needed by April.

"We've been building deficits for several years," meteorologist Logan Johnson said earlier this week. "This is absolutely a step in the right direction."

Thursday's rain caused widespread flooding and power outages in the Bay Area as trees and power lines came down.

Fallen trees crushed cars in San Jose and San Leandro and pinned a boy's arm in a Santa Cruz schoolyard.

Power was knocked out for more than 440,000 PG&E customers throughout California, including 208,000 in the Bay Area. As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, about 2,500 customers in the Bay Area were still without power, and the utility estimates that power will be restored for almost all remaining customers by late Friday night.

The storm was responsible for the collapse of a 50-by-50 foot section of roof at a Safeway supermarket in San Jose. At a flooded mobile home park in Redwood City, residents were being evacuated by firefighters with a small boat.

Although the main front has moved through the Bay Area, more showers are expected Friday, according to Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the weather service. The weekend should offer "really nice" days, with another system developing Sunday night. The Bay Area could see more rain Monday through Wednesday, but nowhere near as intense as Thursday's deluge, Henderson said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-new ... s-bay-area

Gob wrote:We're forecast to get rain all week, which is;

a) Bloody odd for this time of year.
b) Bloody annoying, as I have my godson from the UK staying.

Just a drizzle.
We got 13" of rain in one day here this past summer.

Shit...4" of rain is news? Here, we have a phrase for it. That phrase is "rainy day". (Actually, that would be "last Tuesday".) Ye gods, you Cali people are weather wimps!

Yep, that pretty much was our Tuesday. 10-18 foot waves. 45-55 mph wind gusts. We call that "winter."

Well jeepers, aren't you north easterners just the most butch things around...

Guinevere wrote:It was our 5th or so. Two in October, two in November, one in December. Tis the season!

the compulsion to open up the superlative drawer by the local news media