Heavy rains this morning, part of an expected two weeks of wet weather for Northern and Central California, have caused major road closures and flooding throughout the Bay Area, including parts of the city of San Francisco and Highway 101 near San Francisco International Airport in South San Francisco. The roads in San Francisco have gotten so bad, the fire department is asking residents to not drive today (opens in new tab).
Two areas of Santa Cruz County have also been put under evacuation orders as of this afternoon, and mudslides have been reported in various parts of San Francisco.
Serious flooding on 101 near SFO pic.twitter.com/4cINgU90dj (opens in new tab)
— Mark Chediak (@markchediak) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
The California Highway Patrol tweeted this morning that all southbound and northbound lanes of 101 would be closed in South San Francisco, with Caltrans reporting closures between Oyster Point and Interstate 380 (opens in new tab) due to major flooding. CHP urged travelers to avoid the 101 and use Interstate 280 as an alternate route.
At 1:02 p.m., the highway patrol tweeted (opens in new tab) that it estimated that 101 would reopen in both directions around 5 p.m. However, as that deadline approached, CHP tweeted the highway that connects San Francisco and SFO would remain closed indefinitely (opens in new tab). “The water is not receding due to non-stop rainfall & high tides preventing the water to displace,” the highway patrol tweeted.
***US-101 CLOSED DUE TO MAJOR FLOODING***
— CHP San Francisco (@CHPSanFrancisco) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
US-101 s/b & n/b lanes will be closed indefinitely in So. San Francisco due to major flooding.
All traffic should utilize I-280 as an alternate route. Unknown ETO at this time. Caltrans crews already on scene. Please avoid area! pic.twitter.com/gIubn88T1x (opens in new tab)
The San Francisco Fire Department also reported mudslides in Bernal Heights (opens in new tab) and Kirkham and 5th Avenue (opens in new tab) as well as flooding at 14th and Folsom (opens in new tab) and the 1500 block of Harrison (opens in new tab), urging people to avoid these areas. The fire department tweeted that (opens in new tab) firefighters had rescued a driver from a flooded street in the Marina earlier today.
WE, LIKE MANY OTHER CITIES, ARE SEEING FLOODING FROM THE RAIN. PLEASE CONSIDER NOT DRIVING NOW IF POSSIBLE IN #SF (opens in new tab) pic.twitter.com/2O20fFDPUZ (opens in new tab)
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
The National Weather Service issued several flood and wind advisories for the region early in the day on New Year’s Eve, including San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties.
Never seen anything like this in San Francisco. Bernal right now… pic.twitter.com/l0J1ZCslY4 (opens in new tab)
— Zach Klein (@zachklein) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
While flood advisories for the Peninsula and the North Bay expired earlier today (opens in new tab), a flood advisory is in effect in Alameda and Contra Costa counties until 2:30 p.m. today (opens in new tab). The National Weather Service has also issued an urban and small stream flood advisory until 5 p.m. for San Francisco County.
The Felton Grove and Paradise Park areas of Santa Cruz County were put under evacuation orders (opens in new tab) this afternoon, and officials urged residents of those areas to move to higher ground.
EVACUATION ORDERS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR FELTON GROVE AND PARADISE PARK. PLEASE MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND FOR SAFETY.
— Santa Cruz County (@sccounty) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
Check your zone at https://t.co/s5GvnC3vMN (opens in new tab).
And wind advisories remain in effect through the rest of today.
We’ve had some gusty winds this morning, especially across the higher elevations. Wind Advisories remain in effect through today. #CAwx (opens in new tab) pic.twitter.com/u3zMkpaWc2 (opens in new tab)
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 31, 2022 (opens in new tab)
A section of Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay flooded earlier today (opens in new tab) and multiple roadways in San Mateo were closed Saturday morning due to flooding. San Mateo police urged drivers to avoid the area of 42nd Avenue between El Camino Real and Pacific Boulevard, which is a Caltrain underpass, and the area of Delaware Street between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive. Bermuda Drive is also flooding due to Borel Creek overflowing, according to police.
As of Saturday afternoon, BART was reporting major delays systemwide (opens in new tab), while SF Municipal Transportation Agency reported systemwide Muni delays (opens in new tab); both transit agencies cited mechanical issues and other weather-related woes. At 1:15 p.m., BART tweeted that three elevators/exits at the north end of the Montgomery Station are closed (opens in new tab) because of flooding. BART officials are also asking riders to watch their steps on wet platforms and stairways.
According to the National Weather Service (opens in new tab), 2.37 inches of rain have fallen within San Francisco, 2.13 inches in Mill Valley and almost 3 inches in Oakland over the last 24 hours. ABC7 meteorologist Lisa Argen expects an additional 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain to fall in the region by the end of today and rainfall to taper off by 5 p.m. tonight for a clearer New Year’s Eve, with dry conditions expected on the first day of the new year.
Although conditions will be drier tonight, Argen warns people to stay away from flood-prone areas. “Some of those difficult flooded spots will still be dangerous despite the rain ending this evening,” Argen said.