Tuesday weather updates: Sonoma County Fire District crews rescue another driver

An atmospheric river hitting Sonoma County is bringing rain and wind to the region.

Here is the latest:

7:30 p.m.: Sonoma County Fire District rescues another driver

Sonoma County Fire District crews performed another rescue involving a trapped driver Tuesday evening.

About 5 p.m., they rescued a driver stuck on a flooded Slusser Road, the agency announced in a Tweet.

“Road barricades and signs are up for a reason. Don’t go around them, it’s dangerous,” the agency tweeted.

At least two other rescues took place Tuesday following an atmospheric river that dumped several inches of rain on various parts of Sonoma County.

6:45 p.m.: Sonoma County to be ‘fairly dry’ into Thursday

Stormy conditions are on their way out of Sonoma County and area residents should be in the clear for the next two days.

Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Wednesday morning may be a little wet but otherwise the region should be “fairly dry” into Thursday.

Tuesday’s storm was expected to last into the afternoon hours, but gusty winds pushed the rain out of the area sooner than expected.

Vanado was Sonoma County’s wettest area on record following Tuesday storm, Miller said. The area recorded 4.82 inches of rain.

5:45 p.m.: Eastbound lanes of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge reopened

Traffic along the Richmond-San Rafael bridge is now flowing again in both directions Tuesday evening, after the California Highway Patrol ordered the eastbound lanes of the Interstate 580 bridge reopened shortly before 5:30 p.m.

The eastbound lanes were were closed for more than 90 minutes Tuesday after strong winds overturned several vehicles in the eastbound lanes of the bridge including two big rigs, officials said.

A high wind warning prohibiting high-profile vehicles, such as big rigs, from traveling along the bridge remains in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday.

4:15 p.m.: Overturned vehicles block eastbound lanes on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; bridge closure in effect

Overturned vehicles, including at least two big rigs, are blocking eastbound lanes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the California Highway Patrol reported this afternoon.

As a result, authorities say, there will be an extended closure of the bridge because the trucks cannot be righted until the winds die down.

A wind advisory, which is currently in effect, states that no high profile vehicles are allowed on the bridge.

The closure is causing congestion on local streets in San Rafael.

Highway 37 and the Bay Bridge are suggested alternate routes.

2 p.m.: 2 school districts dismiss early in fear of storm potential

At least two Sonoma County school districts dismissed classes early Tuesday due to concerns that weather conditions would worsen by the end of the day.

Dunham school district in Petaluma sent students home this morning and Horicon in Annapolis let out after lunch, said Eric Wittmershaus, director of communications for the Sonoma County Office of Education.

Wittmershaus said it’s possible other school districts released kids early but they are not obligated to notify the county office of education.

1 p.m.: Thousands in Sonoma County without power

About 5,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers in Sonoma County are without power Tuesday afternoon due to the ongoing storms, according to the outage center map.

A few power failures dotted the area Tuesday morning, but more appeared as the day progressed.

About 3,100 PG&E customers, extending from just west of Valley Ford to west of Rohnert Park, lost power just before 11 a.m. More than 160 customers around Bodega Bay experienced a power failure about an hour later.

More than 1,000 customers in the Sea Ranch area also do not have power.

The majority of the outages are in the western Sonoma County, though power has yet to be restored to about 700 Santa Rosa residents — 277 PG&E customers — or to the nearly 130 customers just northeast of Cloverdale.

12:30 p.m.: Flood warning issued for interior Sonoma County

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for interior portions of Sonoma County until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The locations at risk of flooding, or are already experiencing rising waters, are locations close to Mark West, Green Valley and Colgan creeks, and other small streams north of Petaluma north through Forestville, according to the warning.

12:15 p.m.: Road hazards increasing, according to CHP

California Highway Patrol is dealing with multiple calls Tuesday late morning and afternoon related to roadway hazards, including trees down, mudslides and vehicles stuck in water on roads.

Floodwaters ran high on Armstrong Road in Guerneville. A portion of Oat Valley Road northwest of Cloverdale is “impassable,” according to CHP.

A falling tree narrowly missed a sedan on Orchard Street near Spencer Avenue in Santa Rosa.

A vehicle is stuck is floodwaters on Westside Road, just north of Forestville. An SUV is abandoned and trapped on Freestone Valley Ford Road near Valley Ford.

Noon: Rohnert Park Expressway closes due to flooding

A portion of Rohnert Park Expressway flooded Tuesday morning, prompting a road closure, according to authorities.

The road is closed east of the Rancho Verde Mobile Home Park to Stony Point Road, according to a Nixle alert from the Rohnert Park Department of Safety.

Drivers are urged to avoid the area until further notice and motorists should not drive through standing water, which can be deeper than it appears.

11:15 a.m.: Power failures increase across Sonoma County

As of 11 a.m., about 600 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers are without power due to weather conditions or equipment failures.

About 350 of these failures are in west county, around Guerneville and Forestville, according to the PG&E outage center map.

More than 130 of the customers, just southwest of Forestville, lost power around 9:49 a.m. and there is no anticipated time of restoration.

10:30 a.m.: 40-yard slide blocks one lane of Timber Cove Road

About 30 to 40 yards of Timber Cove Road near Seaview Road are covered in debris following a mudslide that also brought down a large tree over the two-lane road, according to authorities.

The rocks and mud are mainly in one lane and the tree fell across both lanes, said Steve Dickson, assistant chief of Timber Cove Fire.

One lane remains open as drivers can use a turnout lane to go around the tree.

Timber Cove Fire contacted Caltrans and Sonoma County regarding the slide and a county roads crew is en route to clear the location, according to the California Highway Patrol log.

This is the only major slide reported Tuesday morning in the Timber Cove area, however the fire department had received multiple reports of downed trees and is continuing to see wind and “quite a bit” of rain, Dickson said.

9:45 a.m.: Flood advisory to last until late Tuesday afternoon

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory that will last until 5 p.m. Tuesday for portions of Sonoma Marin, Napa and San Francisco counties.

These areas may experience minor flooding in creeks and low-lying or poor-drainage areas, as well as some standing water on roads with rock and mudslides, according to the advisory statement.

The Bay Area and Central Coast will also be under a flood watch until 4 a.m. Wednesday and a high wind warning until 11 p.m. Tuesday.

9 a.m.: Road hazards and flooding

Multiple Sonoma County roads have been partially blocked Tuesday morning by downed trees and debris runoff due to the ongoing storm, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Some reports include a small mudslide that happened about 7 a.m. near Schoolhouse beach on Highway 1 and boulders blocking Smith Brothers Road just south of Bodega Bay about 8:30 a.m.

Most, if not all, of these blockages have been cleared by CHP, CalTrans and other responding agencies, CHP officer Jeff Engwall said.

There have been a few accounts of road flooding, though not many, he said.

Flooding was reported about 8:20 a.m. at Los Amigos Road and Milk Barn Road in Healdsburg. In Sebastopol, a creek flooded near Sexton Road, causing the road to flood, multiple vehicles to spinout and creating a possible sinkhole, Engwall said.

No roads or lanes are currently closed due to weather hazards, according to the Caltrans QuickMap.

8:15 a.m.: Storm system moving faster than expected through region

Storms are expected to slow in Sonoma County as early as 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

The heaviest rains began around 4 a.m. and are expected to halt just after 8 a.m., weather service meteorologist Eleanor Dhuyvetter said Tuesday morning.

The system, which is moving through the North Bay faster than it was forecast to Monday, will begin to clear around 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Over the past 12 hours, the storm has dropped about 1/4 of an inch to 1 inch across Sonoma County. The valleys will receive up to 1/4 of an inch more from now through early Wednesday, Dhuyvetter said.

Wind gusts peaked around 6 a.m., reaching up to 30 mph in the valleys and around 55 mph in higher elevations, according to the weather service.

The weather service had received some reports of mudslides and nuisance flooding across the county, mainly due to the ground already being saturated from previous rains, Dhuyvetter said.

7 a.m.: Guerneville School District closed

Guerneville School District in Guerneville will be closed Tuesday as a precaution due to hazardous conditions related to the atmospheric river, the Sonoma County Office of Education announced.

Guerneville School District has one campus, shared by Guerneville Primary School and Guerneville Elementary, a K-8 charter school.

You can check on Sonoma County school closures at bit.ly/3Fe4Nsc.

The Office of Education issued a reminder that Sonoma County has 40 public school districts. School districts and independent charters make their own decisions on whether to close.

6:40 a.m.: Downed tree knocks out power in Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa Fire Department crews responded about 3:30 a.m Tuesday to a tree into power lines on Orchard Street near Spencer Avenue, according to a Facebook post.

Approximately 700 residents, or 277 Pacific Gas and Electric customers, lost power.

PG&E is expected to return power to the area around 4 p.m., according to the company’s outage center.

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