A ‘bomb cyclone’ hit San Francisco late Tuesday in the latest severe storm to hit the West Coast, devastating the region with hurricane-force winds and torrential rains.
The weather front is the latest major storm to hit the region this year, unleashing flash floods and scorching wind gusts across the Golden State.
At least one person died after gusts, which reached more than 78 mph, caused a tree to fall near Portolla Valley. Meanwhile, more than 230,000 California residents were without power in the storm.
Glass from a San Francisco high-rise building reportedly collapsed to the ground after the storm swept through in the late afternoon, however no injuries were reported from the incident.
Strong winds have brought down numerous trees in the San Francisco area, killing at least one person and injuring two others.
Deep flooding has thrown southern California into chaos as it is hit by another storm.
Evacuation orders were issued Tuesday night in Santa Cruz County as torrential rains battered the coastal region, just weeks after rapid flooding wreaked havoc in Los Angeles.
Two people were seriously injured in San Francisco after being struck by a falling tree, which came as at least one person was killed in a similar incident in San Mateo County.
Detailing the fatal incident, California Highway Patrol Officer David LaRock said weather.com: ‘Due to strong winds, a large tree fell on the vehicle as it was traveling east. When emergency crews arrived, they had to clear several large branches to get to the vehicle.’
Striking weather images showed a sharp turn in the storm’s track as it made landfall, indicating the powerful winds that carried it ashore.
ABC7 meteorologist Drew Tuma tweeted that he witnessed winds drop “from 60 mph to dead calm in an instant” after finding himself in the eye of the storm.
Flights out of San Francisco International Airport were temporarily grounded amid the storms, with approximately 300 flights delayed and more than 20 cancelled.
Other nearby airports, including Oakland International and San Jose Mineta International Airports, also reported some weather-related outages.
Images from the area show numerous cars damaged by downed trees and rising floodwaters sweeping the streets.
Rapidly moving waters in Oakland, which has seen substantial destruction in recent weeks after an overflowing levee swept through the region, also caused a section of a pier to break loose and drift away with numerous boats.
And in the Mission Bay region, an industrial barge broke off and crashed into a bridge, prompting authorities to urge residents to avoid the area.
Travel chaos has also hit the roads of Southern California, with motorists stranded after downed power lines hit Woodside.
Residents are being asked to shelter in place because many of the lines remain live, and local officials have said it’s unclear when PG&E will recover the broken lines.
Strong winds canceled all ferry services Tuesday afternoon in the Bay area, with officials noting the disruption was due to “ocean waves.”
Just weeks after torrential rain swept the region, California has been hit by another storm. Pictured: An aerial shot of submerged homes in Manteca, San Joaquin County
Deep floodwater in San Joaquin County, California, pictured, caused extensive damage just weeks after more storms hit the state.
In San Joaquin County, about two hours south of San Francisco, shocking images have shown deep flooding completely submerging streets.
The region has already received an evacuation order after residents were inundated with rising waters.
Representatives from the San Francisco Fire Department advised the public to take extra precautions as the storm continues to rage through the city.
“There are a lot of street closures right now throughout San Francisco, just because of downed wires, downed trees, flooded areas,” SFFD spokesman Jonathan Baxter told SFGATE.
‘Watch out for severe storm heading for San Francisco.’ added Baxter.
‘If you don’t have to be outside, consider other options. If you are going out, expect delays during your travels.’
A winter storm warning was in place Wednesday morning for the Greater Lake Tahoe area, where winds could reach up to 75 mph.
Torrential rains lashed the state as the Pineapple Express made landfall, plunging 21 counties into a state of emergency
Hundreds of residents of Soquel, California, were stranded earlier this month when storm ‘Pineapple Express’ ripped through the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing a key highway to be washed away by flash flooding.
The destruction comes just weeks after a devastating storm dubbed ‘Pineapple Express’ caused significant damage to the West Coast.
Catastrophic flooding swept the state as the storm, which was the third major landfall of the year, placed more than 20 counties under a state of emergency.
About 17 million people in parts of California and Nevada were under flood watches, and torrential rains saw more than an inch fall every hour in some spots.
More than a dozen people died and many more were stranded in the San Bernardino Mountain Range as record amounts of snow battered the Golden State.
Monterey County was one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, receiving up to 13 inches of rain when the storm hit earlier this month.
Rain topped the 10-inch mark in several other regions, including Santa Cruz County, where a rain-swollen creek washed out a portion of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000, and isolated several neighborhoods.
