Storm’s powerful winds cut power, topple trees
More unsettled weather likely to remain into the weekend
A heavy storm inflicted power outages and fallen trees on Marin County on Tuesday night and Wednesday, and even more rain could be on the way.
In Richardson Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard saved a man from his sinking 80-foot boat on Tuesday night, and another unoccupied boat sunk, said Curtis Havel, the harbormaster. No one was injured.
Both boats were inoperable, unseaworthy and unsafe for the occupants and neighbors, Havel said. The 80-footer was old and in disrepair and could potentially break apart in the bay, prompting an expensive recovery process.
“We are hoping to remove it as soon as possible to minimize any pollution to Richardson’s
Bay,” Havel said.
The wind-whipped storm cut power to about 1,200 meters in the county, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The outages included 811 meters in Novato; 156 in the Nicasio area; 140 in Point Reyes; 92 in Bolinas; and five in Woodacre.
Trees fell into power lines in Bolinas and Inverness, causing the outages in West Marin, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said. A tree also fell on a van in Inverness, causing no injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
The storm carried peak gusts of 73 mph in Woodacre; 72 mph in Lagunitas; 61 mph in Lucas Valley and Marinwood; 59 mph in Inverness; 58 mph on Mount Tamalpais; 55 mph in Mill Valley and Sausalito; and 44 mph on Mount Barnabe, the National Weather Service said.
By 3 p.m. Wednesday, after the brunt of the storm had passed through Marin, rainfall totals included 2.8 inches in Fairfax, 2.56 inches in San Rafael and 2.3 inches in San Anselmo, according to the weather agency. Other totals included 1.7 inches on
Mount Tamalpais, 1.6 inches in western Novato and 1.5 inches in Mill Valley and Point Reyes.
Showers are expected to persist into Thursday morning, according to the weather service.
Another weaker storm could bring more rain Friday and possibly into Saturday.
“We’re going to continue to see unsettled weather,” said Carolina Walbrun, a hydrologist with the weather service.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area closed Muir Woods on Wednesday to allow staffers to clear
fallen tree limbs. Similarly, in the Marin Headlands, a portion of Conzelman Road between Hawk Hill and the McCullough-Conzelman roundabout was closed due to fallen debris.
The storm raised fears of mudslides in areas scarred by the lightning-stoked fires over the summer. The fires included the so-called Woodward wildfire in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
“Thankfully, our burn scar from the Woodward fire is in an area that is
not populated, unlike some other counties,” said Marin County sheriff’s Sgt. Brenton Schneider.
“If the wind picks up, we could see more trees into power lines and roadways,” he said. “We’re going to continue to caution people to watch out on the roads.”
In San Anselmo, one of the Marin communities that received the most rain, Sean Condry, director of public works, said no reports of storm damage came in during the night.
The Marin office of the California Highway Patrol reported some pooling water on Highway 101, but no major incidents.
Flooded areas included northbound Highway 101 offramps in Corte Madera and the North San Pedro Road exit in San Rafael.
San Rafael had some pooling water on streets, but nothing serious, said Bill Guerin, director of public works. Crews cleaned up debris from roads and drainages, he said.
County crews performed
standard road debris cleanup throughout the unincorporated areas, said Julian Kaelon of the public works department.
“This storm did not coincide with any significate high tides, so there wasn’t that compounding factor that can sometimes cause flooding issues,” Kaelon said. “This rainy season has been really light, so the ground is still able to soak up the rainfall pretty well.”