Storm’s second wind
Police search for motorist whose car plunged into swollen Alameda Creek Mountain roads wash out; Sierra on pace for wettest season ever recorded
Wrapping up days of rain, a wet, blustery storm pummeled the Bay Area on Sunday, triggering numerous landslides, washing out mountain roads, blocking highways and contributing to at least one death.
A motorist veered off rainslicked Niles Canyon Road in Fremont midday Sunday and plunged into Alameda Creek. The 18-year-old Tracy driver, whose name has not been released, was presumed drowned, as surging waters stymied rescue attempts.
Three consecutive weeks of rain have put the Sierra Nevada on pace for the wettest season on record after six years
of drought, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Precipitation totals for all three mountain sectors — Northern Sierra, San Joaquin and Tulare Basin — exceed 200 percent of average for this time of year.
The weekend storm didn’t measure up to the deluge earlier this month, but it left an emphatic mark, blasting apart the iconic cement ship SS Palo Alto at Seacliff State Beach in Santa Cruz County. Launched nearly 100 years ago and moored in Aptos since 1929, the decaying ship was bombarded Saturday by exploding surf.
The violent storm surge on Saturday prompted the closure of Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, the first time it’s been closed since the 1989 earthquake, said Robby Pappas, manager of Cowell’s Surf Shop across the street.
Stormy forecast
Monday will bring more showers, possible thunderstorms, strong winds and small hail, National Weather Service forecaster Anna Schneider said. Showers will continue through early Tuesday. Then the area will get to dry out for the rest of the week.
Ben Lomond led the area’s 24-hour rain totals, accumulating 3.34 inches through 5 p.m. Sunday. San Jose saw 0.52 of an inch, San Francisco International Airport 0.69 of an inch, Oakland International Airport 0.68 of an inch, and Concord 0.72 of an inch.
So far this month, San Jose has received 5.26 inches — nowhere near its January record of 12.38 inches. Oakland Airport has gotten 7.47 inches, making this the fifth-wettest January since 1952. The record is 8.9 inches in 1967.
Trees and landslides crashed onto roadways throughout the Bay Area, particularly in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Slides shut down or constricted traffic on Highway 17, Highway 9 and Highway 152, among others.
Highway 9 at Skyline Boulevard remained closed Sunday evening.
A section of Glenwood Drive near Scotts Valley dramatically dropped into the earth sometime Sunday morning, asphalt splitting and crumbling as it sank alongside Bean Creek.
“It was undermined by the water, and a brick wall washed away,” said Gabriel Cabral of Bay Area Traffic Solutions, which contracts with PG&E to do traffic control in trouble spots. “There’s a lot of angry people over there who can’t get through. It’s impassable.”
The gaping fissure turned into an attraction for locals, who recalled the road collapsing about a decade ago.
“Last time it took them a year to fix it — hopefully it won’t take as long this time,” said Karen Williams, 27.
Elsewhere in Scotts Valley, a wide swath of Nelson Road washed away two days after a backhoe operator for Santa Cruz County damaged a culvert Friday.
“A 35- to 40-foot section of the road is gone,” said resident Edan Cassidy. “The pit is maybe 25 feet deep.”
Along Niles Canyon, a westbound silver Honda Accord crossed the doubleyellow lines around 10:30 a.m Sunday and struck an eastbound white Accord, according to the California Highway Patrol. The silver Honda then continued off the road and into the creek.
Niles Canyon Road was reopened later Sunday evening, but officials expected it to be closed again Monday to continue the search for the missing motorist.
In San Mateo County, Pescadero Creek Road was closed Sunday morning due to flooding from Butano Creek to Stage Road, according to an alert from the county.
Paraglider dies
Farther north, rough surf hampered the rescue on Saturday of a paraglider who fell into the ocean in Pacifica. The man — identified as Solomon Lee, 59, of South San Francisco — was pronounced dead after rescuers extricated him from his tangled glider.
Throughout the region, waterlogged soils shed plenty of rain downstream. Lexington and Vasona reservoirs exceeded capacity on Sunday, joining Coyote and Uvas among Santa Clara Valley Water District reservoirs spilling over their dams. But with spillways designed to handle overflow, there were no reports of flooding, district spokesman Marty Grimes said.
The state’s largest reservoirs, Oroville and Shasta, are at 125 percent and 123 percent of average, respectively, for this time of year.