(KRON) — Over 11K PG&E customers remain without power as snow and rain continued to fall on the Bay Area Friday morning. Several regions in the Bay Area saw snow, from the North Bay to Santa Cruz and Palo Alto.
Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect through the Friday morning with widespread reports of the unsafe weather impacting several roads and BART service during the morning commute.
Friday, February 24
10:00 p.m. — PG&E releases power outage update
| February 24, 2023 10 pm | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 37 |
| Peninsula | 812 |
| North Bay | 3,108 |
| East Bay | 165 |
| South Bay | 3,702 |
| Bay Area Total | 7,824 |
8:20 p.m. — Woodside residents enjoy playing in the snow
It was snowing in the hills above San Mateo County’s town of Woodside. All this snow was very unusual for folks in the area.
Residents enjoyed the snow while they can. KRON4’s Haaziq Madyun was in Woodside (watch the video above).
8:15 p.m. — Snow causes major back-up on Livermore backroad
Nearly a dozen cars stuck in the snow halted traffic in Livermore Friday morning. Alameda County firefighters helped dig the cars out of the snow.
8:00 p.m. — Number of outages falls below 10K
| February 24, 2023 8 pm | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 123 |
| Peninsula | 1,021 |
| North Bay | 3,451 |
| East Bay | 282 |
| South Bay | 3,922 |
| Bay Area Total | 8,799 |
5:00 p.m. — Power mostly restored in Melo Park
The City of Menlo Park reported that the majority of the outages in the city have been resolved as of 2 p.m. Friday. Strong winds knocked out power for thousands in Menlo Park earlier in the week, and Highway 101 was temporarily shut down.
“We know how difficult this past week has been for our community members. City staff have been working through the power outages to maintain safe travel throughout the city, clear downed trees, open city facilities to residents without power, and provide accommodation to those in need,” the city said.
3:10 p.m. — Highway 17 reopens
Highway 17 reopened in both directions after it was shut down due to weather and crashes overnight Thursday. CHP had been turning cars away and directing them off of the road before it reopened.
3:10 p.m. — Number of PG&E power outages increase to over 12K
There are 12,940 people across the Bay Area experiencing power outages, according to the latest numbers from PG&E.
| San Francisco | 1,004 |
| Peninsula | 1,505 |
| East Bay | 2,597 |
| South Bay | 4,270 |
| North Bay | 3,564 |
| Total | 12,940 |
1:50 p.m. — BART experiencing weather-related delays
BART trains are running at slower speeds across the system due to wet weather and storm conditions, the transit agency said. Travelers are being advised to add 20 minutes to their planned travel time.
1:40 p.m. — Over 11K Bay Area residents still without power
According to the latest numbers from PG&E, there are 11,098 people still without power due to weather-related outages.
| San Francisco | 808 |
| Peninsula | 1,842 |
| East Bay | 559 |
| South Bay | 4,348 |
| North Bay | 3,541 |
| Total | 11,098 |
11 a.m. — Rockslide closes southbound lanes of Highway 101
A rockslide was reported on southbound Highway 101 near Spencer Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. Right lanes were closed as of Friday at 10:30 a.m. with no estimated time of reopening. Expect delays and avoid the area if possible.
10 a.m. — Mt. Diablo State Park closed due to weather conditions
Downed trees and snow have made access to the park unsafe, and it is closed to visitors as of Friday morning.
8:30 a.m. — 100 cars stranded at Patterson Pass Road
Alameda County Fire Engine 20 responded to Patterson Pass Road, also known as “Top of the World,” in Livermore around 5:30 a.m. to assist over 100 cars that stopped on the roadway due to the weather conditions and snow.
8:15 a.m. — Mt. Diablo covered in snow
Photos of Mt. Diablo shot from Concord around 7:30 a.m. Friday show the mountain shrouded in snow as the Bay Area’s high points continue to be dusted in snow.
7:02 a.m. — Cloverdale Unified School District classes canceled
The Sonoma County Public Schools has canceled classes for the Cloverdale Unified School District Friday due to inclement weather, according to a notice from the district. All other schools in the district will be following a regular schedule.
7 a.m. — Power outage number jumps to 18K
The latest PG&E power outage report showed 18,517 customers were without power as of 6:45 a.m. Friday. This is a jump from the 14,956 customers reportedly without power earlier Friday morning.
Bay Area Outage Numbers (Friday, Feb 24)
| 6:45 AM | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 777 |
| Peninsula | 1,756 |
| North Bay | 7,396 |
| East Bay | 4,373 |
| South Bay | 4,215 |
| Bay Area Total | 18,517 |
6:15 a.m. — 14K still without power
The latest PG&E power outage report showed 14,956 customers were still without power as of Friday morning.
Bay Area Outage Numbers (Friday, Feb 24)
| 5:45 AM | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 778 |
| Peninsula | 1,729 |
| North Bay | 3,897 |
| East Bay | 4,340 |
| South Bay | 4,212 |
| Bay Area Total | 14,956 |
6 a.m. — BART reports delays
BART officials reported Friday morning BART trains are running at slower speeds due to inclement weather. Riders are asked to plan on adding 10 minutes to their planned travel times due to potential delays.
There is a 20-minute delay in the Transbay Tube in both the San Francisco and East Bay directions. The delay is due to unscheduled track maintenance, according to BART officials.
5:30 a.m. — Snow and rain impact traffic on highways during morning commute
Rain and snow continued falling on Highway 17 overnight. The result: the California Highway Patrol has shut down southbound traffic at Bear Creek Road and northbound traffic at Granite Creek.
Cars, plows and other vehicles are stuck on Highway 17 because of snow and downed trees. CHP is turning cars away from the road and directing them off the highway.
“So I was about 10 minutes up on the highway before I just saw snow and the road was frozen,” Richard Lewis, a stranded motorist on Highway 17, told KRON4. “A big rig was peeling out in front of me. I went around him before you know I was stuck in the snow and I had been there for hours and then trees started dropping right in front of my truck and I would hear trees dropping all around me, blocking right in the road before a journalist came and rescued me.”
CHP officials have not given an estimated time of reopening.
Heavy snow, downed trees and downed wires have blocked all eastbound and westbound lanes on Highway 128 from Medocino/Sonoma County Line to Highway 101 in Healdsburg.
CHP also had to shut down traffic on Highway 29 in far northern Napa County due to reports of a series of spinouts. Snowfall in the area remains heavy. The closure stretches from Tubs Lane near Calistoga to Bradford Road in Lake County.
There is no estimated time of reopening.
10:30 p.m. — Winter storm brings rare snow to Mount Diablo
As snow fills up on Mount Diablo, California Highway Patrol is advising drivers to be safe. KRON4’s Dan Thorn reports from the mountain.
10:15 p.m. — Lightning strikes in San Francisco
Thunder and lightning hit San Francisco late Thursday night as the winter storm made its way over the city.
10:00 p.m. — Strong winds leave thousands without power in Menlo Park
KRON4’s Justin Campbell went to Menlo Park to see what the city is doing for its residents without power.
9:30 p.m. — Snow dusts mountains in Fremont
KRON4’s Gayle Ong caught up with hikers at Fremont’s Mission Peak on Thursday.
8:55 p.m. — Highway 29 closed due to hazardous conditions
California Highway Patrol closed Highway 29 in both directions between Tubbs Lane (Calistoga) and Bradford Road (Napa) due to hazardous weather conditions.
CHP’s traffic log showed that multiple vehicles spun out on the road. CHP advises drivers to use alternate routes.
8:00 p.m. — Snow falls on Highway 17 summit
Snow fell on the Santa Cruz mountains Thursday. KRON4’s Charles Clifford spoke to some people who came out to see it
7:30 p.m. — Snow in Palo Alto
Some Palo Alto residents brought their ski gear out to take advantage of some rare snow. Check out the video below.
4:37 p.m. — Video from earlier shows snow in the Oakland Hills
4:00 p.m. — Bay Area outage number rises above 20k
The latest update from PG&E shows that about 2,000 Peninsula customers lost power between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
| Feb. 23, 2023 4 PM | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 10 |
| Peninsula | 19,647 |
| North Bay | 216 |
| East Bay | 221 |
| South Bay | 1,403 |
| Bay Area Total | 21,497 |
2:40 p.m. — Almost 20K remain without power in the Bay Area
There are over 19,000 customers still without power, according to the latest numbers from PG&E.
| 2:00 p.m. | Affected Customers |
| San Francisco | 15 |
| Peninsula | 17,350 |
| North Bay | 223 |
| East Bay | 221 |
| South Bay | 1,913 |
| Bay Area Total | 19,722 |
11:46 a.m. — BART delays due to weather
BART remains 20 minutes behind due to weather conditions.
10:43 a.m. — Snow seen at summit of Santa Cruz mountains
8:20 a.m. — Highway 17 snow impacting drivers
KRON4’s Will Tran was in Los Gatos where snow was falling on Highway 17 and the ground was covered in snow.
7:30 a.m. — Rainbow over the Bay
As rain and snow began falling over the Bay Area Thursday morning, a rainbow appeared over the entire Bay seen from the Alameda Seaplane Ferry.
Snow was also falling on El Granada Thursday morning.
6:25 a.m. — Freeze Warning extended through Friday
The National Weather Service extended its freeze warning for interior areas of another 24 hours into Friday, according to update issued just before 5 a.m. Thursday.
A winter storm warning now lasts until 11 a.m. Friday, with snow still expected at elevations above 1,500 to 2,000 feet.
Rain and snow showers will become more widespread Thursday evening into Friday at lower elevations, with a 10 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday into Friday, according to the weather service.
6 a.m. — Add time to morning commutes due to wintry weather
Bay Area Rapid Transit officials suggested adding about 20 minutes onto your Thursday morning commute due to the weather. Wintry weather and cold temperatures could also create slippery roadways.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
