A car drives through a flooded intersection at East 14th Street and 12th Street, in Oakland, during a heavy rainstorm on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021.
LATEST Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m. Monterey County has issued evacuation orders in areas near the River fire burn scar in Salinas. Residents can learn more about evacuation orders here.
Santa Cruz county has issued an evacuation warning for parts of the CZU Burn Scar, Felton Grove and Paradise Park. Residents have been warned of flooding and mudslides.
Due to severe rainfall, parts of the CZU Burn Scar, Felton Grove and Paradise Park have been placed under an evacuation warning. If you feel unsafe or need extra time to leave, feel free to make arrangements now. This is only a warning. https://t.co/0HS4Yp39mW #knowyourzone pic.twitter.com/pskxebV0yf
Dec. 13, 3:30 p.m. The San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department said it responded to flooding at a home in Hillsborough on Monday and rescued one resident.
Earlier today, Engine 24 responded with @centralcountyfd to a home in Hillsborough where 1 resident was rescued.
With the ongoing storm, remember to Turn Around, Don’t Drown! Flooded roadways can occur and water may be deeper than it appears which can hide hazards. pic.twitter.com/oN4wQXaaGF
Dec. 13, 2 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for a large portion of the greater Bay Area, including the East Bay hills and the Diablo Range, East Bay interior valleys, northern Monterey Bay, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay shoreline, San Francisco peninsula coast, Santa Clara Valley including San Jose and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The weather service warned excessive runoff due to heavy rainfall may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
“Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks,” the weather service said. “Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris. Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers are possible.”
Dec. 13, 1 p.m. Impressive rainfall rates of up to 0.58 inch per hour were recorded in the East Bay as an atmospheric river swept the Bay Area Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Images taken around the East Bay showed flooded roadways. “Expect traffic hazards and flooding of low lying areas and roadways in the near term around the greater Oakland area,” the weather service warned.
Pedestrians walk down Park Street in Alameda, Calif., during a heavy downpour on Dec. 13, 2021.
Dec. 13, 12:30 p.m. A potent atmospheric river kicked up high winds around the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday afternoon with winds nearing 80 mph in isolated locations.
Top wind speeds as of 11:30 a.m. included a 79 mph gust in the Santa Cruz Mountains and a 77 mph wind in Alameda County, the National Weather Service said.
NBC News reporter Kris Sanchez shared video footage on Twitter showing white caps on Lexington Reservoir on the edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Los Gatos.
A wind advisory is effect for the San Francisco Peninsula, East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz County through 4 p.m. Monday with southerly winds of 15 to 25 mph and isolated gusts up to 55 mph in the forecast, the weather service said.
Peak wind gusts with the storm today, topped by 79mph in the Santa Cruz Mtns and followed up by 77 mph in Alameda county south of Livermore.
Gusty winds continue through the day.#cawx pic.twitter.com/5InKcJDTVs
Dec. 13, 11:45 a.m. Caltrans said at 11:31 a.m. the Interstate 80 eastbound and westbound off-ramps are closed at Ashby Avenue in Berkeley due to flooding.
Dec. 13, 11:30 a.m. The storm was hung up over the Santa Cruz Mountains late Monday morning, and the National Weather Service extended a flash flood warning for San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties through 11:45 a.m. Monday.
“The Santa Cruz Mountains are getting pounded with some pretty steady rain right now,” said Jeff Lorber, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “I’m seeing some rainfall rates of a quarter inch to half inch an hour, which is going to continue over the next couple hours. They have some impressive rainfall totals, they have some amounts over 5 inches and up to 7 inch totals. I haven’t seen any reports of major debris flows, but there was a report of some rocks and mud that dropped onto a road in the mountains.”
Flash Flood Warning continues for San Mateo County, CA, Santa Cruz County, CA until 11:45 AM PST pic.twitter.com/DY2b7n5SyI
Highway 92 is flooded from Spanish Town to 12000 block (at Repetto’s Greenhouse Florist).
Dec. 13, 11:11 a.m. Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit said a section of Highway 92, the road between Interstate 280 and Half Moon Bay, is flooded and closed from Spanish Town to the 12000 block of the highway at Repetto’s Greenhouse Florist. The agency shared video footage showing a lake of water covering the roadway.
HIGHWAY 92 CLOSED: ⚠️ Highway 92 is flooded from Spanish Town to 12000 block (at Repetto’s Greenhouse Florist) #CaWx #California #TurnAroundDontDrown pic.twitter.com/WwG0YRouN2
Dec. 13, 11 a.m. National Weather Service forecaster Jeff Lorber told SFGATE just before 11 a.m. that the heaviest rain in the San Francisco and Oakland areas would be winding down by late this morning.
“We’ve already received mostly 2 to 3 inches around San Francisco-Oakland area,” Lorber said.
The storm is expected to push south of the Bay Area into the Santa Lucia Mountains late Monday afternoon, overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning.
In the wake of the storm, a colder air mass is filtering into the Bay Area, creating instability in the atmosphere and increasing the chances for thunderstorms.
“With these cells, you could see brief bursts of hail and heavy rain,” Lorber said. “You could hear a rumble of thunder and see some lightning. Thunderstorm activity is not going to be widespread.”
Send storm photos and videos to agraff@sfgate.com.
Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and got her start in news at the Daily Californian newspaper at UC Berkeley where she majored in English literature. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. You can email her at agraff@sfgate.com.
