Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
In Napa County and elsewhere, the Bay Area’s second atmospheric river storm this winter announced its presence Saturday with methodical and intense power.
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
California hit with record breaking rain and deadly flooding
Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, January 1, 2023
Senator Bill Dodd, center, led the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club singing of ‘White Christmas’ during a gathering. Seen in the photo are Ervin Hechavarria, Janet Heun, Senator Dodd, President Paul Oseso's daughter Imani, Iris Barrie, Mark Luce and Chris Craiker.
Retired music teacher, Marianne Lyon, recently spoke about what teaching meant to her at a luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Division of the California Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Lodge.
The Napa Sunrise Rotary Club seen packaging food for the Agape Food Project at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep on December 8th. From left to right are Christine O'Brien, Phyllis Haupt, Woody Hedderman, Howard Haupt and Paul Everett.
Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
In Napa County and elsewhere, the Bay Area’s second atmospheric river storm this winter announced its presence Saturday with methodical and intense power.
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
California hit with record breaking rain and deadly flooding
Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, January 1, 2023
Senator Bill Dodd, center, led the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club singing of ‘White Christmas’ during a gathering. Seen in the photo are Ervin Hechavarria, Janet Heun, Senator Dodd, President Paul Oseso's daughter Imani, Iris Barrie, Mark Luce and Chris Craiker.
Retired music teacher, Marianne Lyon, recently spoke about what teaching meant to her at a luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Division of the California Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Lodge.
The Napa Sunrise Rotary Club seen packaging food for the Agape Food Project at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep on December 8th. From left to right are Christine O'Brien, Phyllis Haupt, Woody Hedderman, Howard Haupt and Paul Everett.
Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
In Napa County and elsewhere, the Bay Area’s second atmospheric river storm this winter announced its presence Saturday with methodical and intense power.
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
California hit with record breaking rain and deadly flooding
Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, January 1, 2023
Senator Bill Dodd, center, led the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club singing of ‘White Christmas’ during a gathering. Seen in the photo are Ervin Hechavarria, Janet Heun, Senator Dodd, President Paul Oseso's daughter Imani, Iris Barrie, Mark Luce and Chris Craiker.
Retired music teacher, Marianne Lyon, recently spoke about what teaching meant to her at a luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Division of the California Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Lodge.
The Napa Sunrise Rotary Club seen packaging food for the Agape Food Project at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep on December 8th. From left to right are Christine O'Brien, Phyllis Haupt, Woody Hedderman, Howard Haupt and Paul Everett.
Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
In Napa County and elsewhere, the Bay Area’s second atmospheric river storm this winter announced its presence Saturday with methodical and intense power.
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
California hit with record breaking rain and deadly flooding
Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, January 1, 2023
Senator Bill Dodd, center, led the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club singing of ‘White Christmas’ during a gathering. Seen in the photo are Ervin Hechavarria, Janet Heun, Senator Dodd, President Paul Oseso's daughter Imani, Iris Barrie, Mark Luce and Chris Craiker.
Retired music teacher, Marianne Lyon, recently spoke about what teaching meant to her at a luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Division of the California Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Lodge.
The Napa Sunrise Rotary Club seen packaging food for the Agape Food Project at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep on December 8th. From left to right are Christine O'Brien, Phyllis Haupt, Woody Hedderman, Howard Haupt and Paul Everett.
Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
In Napa County and elsewhere, the Bay Area’s second atmospheric river storm this winter announced its presence Saturday with methodical and intense power.
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
California hit with record breaking rain and deadly flooding
Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, January 1, 2023
Senator Bill Dodd, center, led the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club singing of ‘White Christmas’ during a gathering. Seen in the photo are Ervin Hechavarria, Janet Heun, Senator Dodd, President Paul Oseso's daughter Imani, Iris Barrie, Mark Luce and Chris Craiker.
Retired music teacher, Marianne Lyon, recently spoke about what teaching meant to her at a luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Division of the California Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Lodge.
The Napa Sunrise Rotary Club seen packaging food for the Agape Food Project at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep on December 8th. From left to right are Christine O'Brien, Phyllis Haupt, Woody Hedderman, Howard Haupt and Paul Everett.
Updated at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday — The entire Bay Area, including Napa County, will be under a flood watch beginning early Wednesday morning due to a heavy storm system expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and which will likely result in the loss of human life, according to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service. The region also will be under a high wind warning from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Tuesday evening, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services announced a winter weather watch for the entire county, citing the potential for flooding and power outages as rainfall increases and wind speeds pick up. The weather watch takes effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday — the same starting time as a flood watch and high wind warning forecasters earlier declared for the nine-county Bay Area.
In a forceful and striking bulletin posted Monday evening, the National Weather Service listed a litany of potential impacts from the “brutal system,” including flooding, road washouts, landslides, fallen trees, power outages and more, culminating in the “likely loss of human life.”
The weather service didn’t back down Tuesday, instead informing Bay Area locals on tips to stay safe amid the troubling conditions that were expected Wednesday and Thursday. Residents were advised to make sure their tires were properly inflated (a common cold-weather concern), that vehicles were full of gas in case of evacuation, and that phones were fully charged and signed up for emergency alerts that might provide notice of fast-moving conditions and public safety bulletins.
“We’re trying to get people to really take heed,” said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, “trying to empower people to take care of themselves to ease the burden on first responders.”
Linda Ong, Napa County public information officer, said Tuesday that the county is mostly focused on monitoring the forecast at this point; the county expects impacts of the upcoming storm to be slightly more severe than those from the weekend storm.
As for potential flooding, the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District is expecting to close the Oxbow Commons flood bypass gates in downtown Napa at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the Napa River is expected to rise just above the monitoring level of 20 feet during the storm, Ong said. That would include closing the nearby McKinstry Street so vehicles can't drive into the flood channel, she said. The closure would last until the storm passes.
As with the Bay Area storm late last week, Ong added, Napa County is also generally urging people to be cautious if they have to be out on the roads, to drive slowly and be wary of debris — which there likely will be more of given the expected high winds.
"We are seeing so far from the forecast that it seems like there’s going to be more intense rainfall over shorter periods compared to the first storm event," Ong said.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
The flood watch will be in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, when Napa County OES expects rain amounts to total 3 to 5 inches in the valleys, 4 to 6 inches in the foothills and 8 to 10 inches in the mountains.
Further rains from Friday into Sunday were forecasted to total another 1 to 2 inches on the valley floor, and as much as 4.5 inches at higher elevations, the county said in its winter weather watch, announced shortly after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, the weather service upgraded a high wind watch for the Bay Area to a high wind warning, which will be active from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Southerly winds are expected to measure 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in valley areas, while mountain areas above 1,000 feet in elevation could receive 30 to 40 mph winds and up to 60 mph gusts.
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
More powerful winds will raise the risk of downed trees and power lines, and widespread power outages should be expected, the weather service said in its wind warning announcement. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles such as trucks and vans.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in most areas.
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2 to 3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay — down from 3 to 4 inches — and for 3 to 4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4 to 6 inches in the previous forecast.
A mostly dry Tuesday represented the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said. During the last storm, San Francisco had its second wettest day on record, when the city received 5.46 inches of rain on Dec. 31, just shy of the all-time record of 5.54 inches of rain set on Nov. 5, 1994, according to Jan Null, certified meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
That brought San Francisco's December total to 11.60 inches, the 15th wettest December on record for the city, which has kept rain records since 1849.
Trees sitting in saturated, pliable soil could topple from the wind, falling into homes and power lines, potentially knocking out power for homes throughout the region.
Aldo Gonzalez, a division chief for Cal Fire, told Bay Area News Group that the previous weekend’s storm brought more than 500 calls from people with flooded homes and those who needed rescue and evacuation. He estimated that about 85% of those calls were preventable with proper preparation for a storm of this magnitude.
“Most of it is common sense,” he said. “People need to use their heads and have a little afterthought … If you look at the history of the last storm, which was a couple of days ago and you push it forward to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, or what should happen, it’s better to be prepared and ready and out of the area if you’re in a flood zone.”
As for common sense, Gonzalez says placing sandbags around homes, getting to high ground, having “go bags” and places to stay are simple ways to prevent dangerous situations from arising during the storm. A “go bag” refers to an emergency kit, already packed for travel, containing essential items that residents may need, including medication, food, water and clothing.
“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re better than that.”
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which reported having about 500,000 customers lose power during the New Year's Eve storms, said about 3,000 workers from the utility, contractors and other utilities are poised to respond to service interruptions during the storms expected this week. The effort includes 16 crews from Southern California Edison and mutual aid assistance from other West Coast utilities, PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee advised drivers to take extra precautions as visibility can be low in intense storms. Drivers are always advised not to steer their vehicles through flooded intersections or other roadways, as waters may often be deeper than people realize.
“We’re advising people to remember to slow down, primarily,” Lee said. “Make sure your vehicle is in proper functioning and working condition. That includes tires, lights and windshield wipers.”
Lee said there weren’t any particular strips of highway that the CHP expects to flood, but drivers should be prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday, the city of Napa will offer self-service sandbags at its corporation yard from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The yard is at 770 Jackson St. and provides sand, bags and shovels; visitors are asked to bring their own gloves.
A seasonal, self-serve sandbag station is available at American Canyon City Hall, 4389 Broadway (Highway 29). Visitors should bring their own shovels and gloves.
The town of Yountville is providing sandbags in the gravel parking lot south of Veterans Memorial Park on Washington Street.
In St. Helena, sandbags are available at two locations – at the eastern stub end of Adams Street, and at Crane Park between the primary school and the tennis courts.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
This story includes reporting from Napa Valley Register reporter Edward Booth, city editor Howard Yune, Bay Area News Group reporter Austin Turner, and Bay City News Service.
