PG&E reported that 18,300 customers in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were without power yesterday as a result of the storm—and the worst is yet to come today. Fallen trees knocked down power lines and blocked highways, including Highway 9, where a 120-foot cedar tree kept traffic backed up. Winds are reported to have reached up to 47 miles per hour. Storm surges along the beaches resulted in waves of up to 18 feet, and Capitola closed its Esplanada and wharf. Story continues below slide show. Photos by Curtis Cartier.
The Sentinel reports that 3,000 people in Boulder Creek, 900 in Felton, 900 in Ben Lomond, 3,000 in Santa Cruz and 1,700 in Watsonville were without power as of this morning. Bad weather is expected to continue over the next two days, and local residents are being warned to continue to show caution. School has already been cancelled for the day in the San Lorenzo Valley School District. Yesterday Boulder Creek got 3 inches of rain, while Santa Cruz got .7 inches; greater amounts are expected today, while winds should reach 35 mph with gusts up to as much as 70 mph.
The storm also brought some good news for the county’s reservoirs. Water in Loch Lomond has risen by 1 foot, but according to Bill Kocher, Santa Cruz’s water director, that only covers about four days. Speaking of the summer water shortage, he said: “Three days of rainfall doesn’t change this.” Read more at KSBW and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
