A “bomb cyclone” slammed across the west coast of San Francisco in the latest severe storm on Tuesday night, devastating the region with hurricane gusts and torrential rain.
The weather front is the latest major storm to hit the region this year, where it sent flash flooding and violent gusts of wind across the Golden State.
At least one person died after gusts – which reached up to 120 km/h – knocked down a tree near the Portolla Valley. Meanwhile, more than 230,000 residents across California have lost power from the storm.
Glass reportedly fell from a high-rise in San Francisco after the storm hit late afternoon, but no injuries were reported in the incident.
Heavy winds have caused numerous downed trees in the San Francisco area, killing at least one person and injuring two others
Deep flooding has thrown southern California into chaos as another storm hits it
Evacuation orders were issued in Santa Cruz County on Tuesday night as torrential rain battered the coastal region, just weeks after rapid flooding wreaked havoc in Los Angeles.
Two people were seriously injured in San Francisco after being hit by a falling tree when at least one person was killed in a similar incident in San Mateo County.
California Patrol Officer David LaRock told Weather.com of the fatal incident, “Due to high winds, a large tree fell on the vehicle as it was traveling eastbound. When emergency services arrived, they had to clear several large branches to get to the vehicle.”
Shocking weather images showed a sharp turn in the storm’s trajectory as it made landfall, indicating the strong winds that drove it to shore.
ABC7 meteorologist Drew Tuma tweeted that he saw winds drop “from 60mph to dead calm in an instant” after being in the eye of the storm.
Flights from San Francisco International Airport have been temporarily grounded amid the storms, with about 300 flights delayed and over 20 cancelled.
Other nearby airports, including Oakland and San Jose Mineta International Airports, also reported some weather-related disruptions.
Footage from the area shows numerous cars damaged by fallen trees and rising floodwaters sweeping the streets.
Fast-moving waters in Oakland, which have seen significant destruction in recent weeks after an overflowing levee washed out the region, also caused part of a dock to become detached and carried numerous boats away.
And in the Mission Bay area, an industrial barge was dumped and smashed into a bridge, prompting authorities to urge residents to avoid the area.
The travel chaos has also hit the streets of Southern California, leaving motorists trapped after downed power lines hit Woodside.
Residents are being asked to seek shelter locally as many of the wires are still live, and local authorities said it’s unclear when PG&E will restore the broken lines.
High winds canceled all Bay Area ferry services Tuesday afternoon, with officials noting the disruption was due to “ocean-like waves.”
Just weeks after the region was swept away by torrential rain, another storm hit California. Pictured: An aerial view of submerged homes in Manteca, San Joaquin County
Deep flooding in California’s San Joaquin County has caused severe damage just weeks after more storms swept through the state
In San Joaquin County, about two hours south of San Francisco, shocking images have shown deep water flooding completely inundating streets.
The region has already been hit by an evacuation order after residents were inundated with the rising waters.
San Francisco Fire Department officials have advised the public to take extra precautions as the storm continues to batter the city.
“Right now there are a lot of road closures all over San Francisco just because of fallen wires, downed trees and areas flooded,” SFFD spokesman Jonathan Baxter told SFGATE.
“Watch out for the severe storm sweeping through San Francisco”. Added Baxters.
“If you don’t need to be outside, consider other options. When you’re on the road, you must expect delays during your journey.’
A winter storm warning was issued Wednesday morning for the Greater Lake Tahoe area, where winds could gust up to 75 miles per hour.
Torrential rains hit the state as the Pineapple Express landed, putting 21 counties on a state of emergency
Hundreds of residents in Soquel, California, were stranded earlier this month when storm Pineapple Express battered the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing flash flooding to undermine a major road
The destruction comes just weeks after a devastating storm called the Pineapple Express wreaked havoc on the west coast.
Catastrophic flooding washed out the state as the storm, which was the third major landfall of the year, placed over 20 counties on a state of emergency.
About 17 million people in parts of California and Nevada were under flood watch, and the torrential rains saw more than an inch an hour in some places.
More than a dozen people died and many more were left stranded in the San Bernardino mountain range when historic amounts of snow hit the Golden State.
Monterey County was among the hardest-hit areas in the state as it fell earlier this month with up to 13 inches of rain.
Rain topped the 10-inch mark in several other regions, including Santa Cruz County, where a rain-filled creek destroyed part of Main Street in Soquel — a town of 10,000 — and isolated several neighborhoods.