A wet and blustery winter storm downed trees and knocked out power in parts of the Bay Area as it blew through the region early Saturday, though it didn’t deliver the level of wind and rain many feared. The storm left scattered showers in its wake Saturday morning and afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, with rain expected to stick around in the area through early next week. While storms Saturday night could lead to standing water on some roads and windy conditions, National Weather Service Bay Area meteorologist Spencer Tangen said the most intense wind and rain was over after as of Saturday morning. “In general, we’re not expecting any flooding or any flash flooding” from the later showers, Tangen said. He also said the storm that arrived Friday and early Saturday — predicted to be one of the strongest of the season — was not as intense as had been forecast. The weather service canceled a high wind watch and flash flood warning that had been in effect much of the Bay Area at 8 a.m. Saturday. The service later issued a wind advisory, running from Saturday afternoon through 10 p.m. A Wind Advisory has been issued until 10 pm this evening for the majority of the SF Bay and Monterey Bay areas. South to southeast winds will be strong but weaker than early this morning. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/teEH2VKrDU — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) February 2, 2019 An avalanche warning was issued Saturday morning for the greater Lake Tahoe region, as heavy snowfall and high winds create dangerous conditions through Sunday night, according to the weather service. The agency cited a high risk of natural and human-caused slides, and urged travelers to avoid venturing into avalanche terrain. Around 4:23 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the area near Colusa, indicating a tornado was spotted on radar as well as quarter-size hail. 4:23 PM: A Tornado Warning has been issued for a storm north of Colusa. If you are in the path of this storm take shelter now! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/2Z1O3fkv5A — NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) February 3, 2019 San Mateo County authorities said a fallen tree closed a section of Old La Honda Road in Woodside, half a mile east of Skyline Boulevard, around noon Saturday. By 5 p.m., police said the tree had been cleared and the road opened. Tangen said scattered showers Saturday afternoon are expected to grow more widespread through the evening before tapering off around midnight, with a similar same pattern expected on Sunday. Forecasts call for showers to continue Monday, with clear weather not returning until Tuesday, Tangen said. The rest of the weekend and early next week will remain active with more storms moving through the area. Colder air will arrive Monday – Tuesday with snow possible in some of our higher peaks. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/jxM0t4PpiQ — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) February 3, 2019 The storm Friday and Saturday brought sustained winds between 25 and 35 mph at Mineta San Jose International Airport. In the Bay Area’s hills, gusts were between 50 and 60 mph, with 59 mile-per-hour gusts recorded at Mount Diablo. Winds have weakened significantly in the post frontal environment this morning but are expected to ramp up again later today. A large number of downed tree reports came in around Carmel, Pebble Beach, and Pacific Grove nr Monterey. Img lists peak wind gusts >=45mph so far. #cawx pic.twitter.com/fwYMmIVqV6 — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) February 2, 2019 Related Articles California drought hits extreme levels, wildfire threat grows Watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on wildfire and emergency preparedness Biden moves to double US emergency spending What’s causing California’s drought? 10 tornadoes hit Colorado Saturday with more severe weather expected Sunday Many of the Bay Area’s cities saw rain amounts that ranged from just under half an inch — about 0.4 inches were recorded at the San Jose airport and at Oakland International — to one inch. Higher elevations saw rainfall between 1.5 and 3 inches, Tangen said. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported about 1,800 customers were without power Saturday morning in Pittsburg, along with 100 customers near San Leandro and 60 in Berkeley. Staff writer Matthias Gafni contributed to this report.<doc-sep>SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) -- Saturday's storm in the Bay Area made driving dangerous and left damage strewn across the North Bay.The storm toppled trees and brought some flooding to the area. Heavy wind and rain also created a dangerous mess on the roadways.Heavy rain fell for hours. It was intense and torrential at ties, demanding attention and keeping many awake. "I have a thin ceiling. I really heard it coming down, some old tree branches fell," said Novato resident John Cortez.In Sonoma County, crews were trying to remove this giant tree which fell onto the Bohemian Highway in Monte Rio, and shut off power to about 60 residents.The storm made driving dangerous. The CHP was escorting traffic on Highway 101, around a spin out involving a pickup truck. It happened in Novato near the Atherton Ave. Exit.In Mill Valley, high tides combined with heavy rains caused flooding. Both directions of Miller Avenue was closed. Police detoured traffic. "I've lived here 35 years, I've never seen it flood like this," said Mill Valley Resident Roger Howard.Parts of The Shoreline Highway were also submerged along with the Manzanita Park and Ride lot. CalTrans crews and CHP were trying to keep cars high and dry with detours.Cyclist Megan Bagley, visiting from New York almost needed a boat to make thru the Bay Trail bike path, one stretch was covered with several inches of water. "I'm glad I don't own this bike, and I'm glad it's not as cold as it is back east so my feet will dry out," said cyclist Megan Bagley.Download: ABC7 Accuweather app for iPhone and Android Weather Radar: LiveDoppler7 radar images Weather Alerts: Current Watches and Warnings<doc-sep>
Three storms lined up for the weekend are expected to lash the Bay Area with torrential rains and high-speed winds. Projected rainfall rates along the front of Friday evening’s storm could reach up to an inch per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Winds between 25 and 35 mph are expected to accompany the precipitation, and gusts between 50 and 65 mph are possible between 3 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Both a high wind warning and flash flood watch have been issued for the entire region, and residents can expect downed trees, power lines and local flooding, said Spencer Tangen, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “We could see rainfall rates getting high enough where you could see some landslides, rock slides or mudslides from those heavier showers,” he said. Wind speeds will peak late Friday night or early Saturday morning before gradually subsiding throughout the day, Tangen said. A second storm expected to move in Saturday afternoon will also drop some rain on the Bay Area, but forecasters said it’s not expected to be as strong as Friday’s downpour. Light rain is also expected from a third storm Sunday and Monday, but that front will be more notable for the chilly temperatures it might bring. Highs will hover around 50 degrees on Monday and temperatures could dip into the upper 30s that night, Tangen said. “It might struggle to get that warm if we get a lot of rain Monday,” Tangen said. “This might be some of the coldest air we’ve seen this season.” The coming storms prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to issue a winter weather safety reminder. “As the next winter storm approaches our service area, we want to remind Californians that this wet and windy weather can create hazardous conditions, particularly on the roads,” said Evan Duffey, a PG&E meteorologist. The storms expected Friday through Tuesday may dump up to 2 inches of rain in San Francisco and San Jose, while the North Bay could receive 3 inches of rain and the East Bay could see 1.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Dry and cool weather is expected to return midway through next week. Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu