Widespread rain across the Bay Area overnight and into Tuesday morning flooded roadways and overwhelmed waterways, making the morning commute a treacherous one and leading to at least one rescue.
The storm caused several issues on Bay Area roads.
- In San Jose, water pooled on Highway 87 at Taylor Street, and the roadway was shut down for a time when one vehicle got stuck. On nearby Interstate 280, another pond formed at Winchester Boulevard.
- In Half Moon Bay at about 7 a.m., a large tree fell across Highway 92, blocking traffic in both directions in the 11000 block of the roadway, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said.
- In Sunnyvale at about 7:25 a.m., flooding closed the intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Tasman Drive, according the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
- In Fremont at about 7:30 a.m., police urged motorists to avoid Highway 84 for a few hours, as flooding closed the highway in both directions between Ardenwood Boulevard and Thornton Avenue.
Along the Guadalupe River in San Jose, a man living in a makeshift shelter woke up to find himself trapped by swift moving flood waters.
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Steve Holmes with South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition was inspecting the river at the time and called 911.
"It's fast moving on both sides, so there's a danger if he was to get in the water he could potentially drown," Holmes said. "We told him, 'Just stay where you're at. We’ll get help.'"
Three fire engines responded and were just about to call for a boat to be brought in when firefighters safely rescued the man.
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The National Weather Service forecast for the greater Bay Area called for widespread rainfall Tuesday, with isolated thunderstorms and gusty winds near the coast.
PG&E warned about possible power outages, especially in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the utility planned to bring in extra crews from other areas.
"Storm related outages can really vary in how long it takes to restore the power," PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said. "It can be very quick, or if we have circumstances like access issues, that can sometimes make it a bigger challenge."
Advisories for high surf and high winds were in effect on the coast through 10 a.m. Tuesday, and a flash flood watch was in effect in Monterey County through 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Conditions are expected to dry out late Wednesday into Thursday with colder overnight temperatures to follow.
