3 injured amid high winds in Sonoma County; strong gusts to return overnight

At least three people were injured late Saturday afternoon as strong wind gusts toppled trees and downed power lines across Sonoma County.

Around 5:40 p.m., a large eucalyptus tree fell on a vehicle as it was traveling west of Fulton on River Road, just west of Slusser Road, according to Matt Coxon, an off-duty paramedic who assisted at the scene along with several other passersby.

Emergency crews, including Sonoma County Fire, Sonoma Life Support and California Highway Patrol, responded to the scene shortly after. A woman, the vehicle’s sole occupant, sustained minor injuries, Coxon said.

Two others were injured around 5:18 p.m. when strong winds uprooted a tree that then fell on them as they were repairing a car in the area of Sapphire Way and Crystal Hill, off Petaluma Hill Road, in Santa Rosa, emergency officials said. One person was transported to an area hospital.

“It seemed like the wind really picked up from about 4:30 p.m. till about 6 p.m. in Santa Rosa,” said Jack Thomas, a Santa Rosa Fire Department division chief. “We had 10 hazardous condition-type calls during that time.”

Santa Rosa fire officials are urging people to stay inside and avoid unnecessary travel as much as possible during the high winds.

According to the National Weather Service, the strongest winds were recorded at higher elevations around Sonoma County. Cobb Ridge, in the Mayacamas Mountains, reported 68 mph gusts, while Mount Saint Helena experienced 55 mph winds. Winds of 45-55 mph were reported along Sonoma County’s coast.

“We are expecting wind gusts to be off and on overnight and taper off in the early morning hours,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service. “Then they will ramp up again Sunday night into Monday, with predicted wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph.“

Lower elevation areas, including in Santa Rosa, had wind gusts reported as high as 38 mph but calmed to around 21 mph later in the evening. Winds were also calmer in the areas of Guerneville and Monte Rio, with the strongest gust reported Saturday evening being 27 mph.

In Santa Rosa, 202 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers were reported to be without power Saturday evening, according to the utility, and 7,945 total customers were without power in the county, though that includes those still without power since Wednesday’s major storm.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at 707-521-5209 or kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com.