Bay Area residents are battening down the hatches in preparation
for what could be the biggest storm to hit the area in years.
Bay Area residents are battening down the hatches in preparation for what could be the biggest storm to hit the area in years.
After a relatively dry rainy season, the National Weather Service has issued a deluge of warnings that are in effect through the weekend. The NWS predicts flooding on the coast, blizzards in the mountains and high winds in between.
Two strong weather systems are expected to sweep in from the Pacific, and continue to buffet Northern and Central California with severe wind and rain through Friday afternoon.
The lesser of the two systems was expected to hit Thursday evening, bringing up to 40 mph winds to the Santa Clara Valley and the second, more powerful system will bring even stronger winds to Central California today. Forecasters predict that winds in the hills above 1,000 feet could gust to hurricane force before the storm passes.
The NWS expects winds up to 40 mph in Gilroy with 100 percent chance of rain today.
“This storm is definitely welcome,” said Susan Siravo, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Water District. “We need the rain in order to increase the water levels in our reservoirs and groundwater basin.”
Even if the storm drops the expected four inches of rain by the time it rolls out of town, Siravo said that it’s only one storm and the county will need five or six more heavy storms to get water levels back to normal. Six months into the official rainy season and water levels are only at 65 percent of where they should be. Gilroy has received five inches to date and the average rainfall for a season is 14 inches.
“The storm will be good but we need more,” Siravo said. “We are still asking people to conserve water as much as they can, even though that may seem odd when it’s pouring rain outside.”
In order to prevent flooding, crews are combing creeks and streams for trash, tree limbs and other debris that could hinder the flow of water. Siravo doesn’t expect this storm to cause flooding.
City officials prepare for natural disasters and emergencies by attend monthly training sessions, said Joe Kline, public information officer for the City of Gilroy. “We are constantly training for this sort of thing.”
“Interestingly enough, we have two things working in our favor heading into this storm,” Kline said. “The ground is not saturated and our reservoirs are quite low.”
Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman, Jeff Smith, said that his company takes preventative measures throughout the year to prepare for inclement weather. PG&E crews ensure that proper clearance is maintained between power lines and vegetation by trimming trees. The biggest threat to power lines is primarily gusty winds, he said. However, the amount of water poses a secondary threat.
“Once the ground gets saturated, no amount of trimming can help,” Smith said. “Whole trees come down sometimes. The rural parts of Gilroy are more susceptible.”
Although PG&E crews are diligently continuing what they do to prevent power outages, they are preparing for long hours of repair work ahead, he said.
If community members are concerned about their homes flooding, they are encouraged to pick up free, filled sandbags provided by the SCVWD. The location nearest to Gilroy is in San Martin at 13600 Murphy Ave. Empty sandbags are also available at the Chestnut Street fire station.
“It’s hard to say if the sandbags will be necessary for this storm,” Siravo said.
“This one storm is great,” she said, “but it doesn’t get us out of the woods yet.”
