Bay Area High Winds Cause Power Outages To Thousands

Powerful winds are sweeping across the Bay Area this morning, toppling trees and power lines and causing power outages to thousands.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for most of the Bay Area, warning that strong and gusty winds will be prevalent throughout the morning. The heavy winds have wreaked havoc on the peninsula, where more than 8,500 homes are without power as of 7 a.m., according to PG&E.

Wind gusts as strong as 75 mph have been reported this morning in San Francisco, according to Christine Riley, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. The powerful winds hit the San Francisco area between 11 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. and have been steadily moving south,

Riley said.

San Francisco International Airport reported a wind gust of 60 mph at 2 a.m., Riley said. Several locations throughout the Bay Area have reported gusts as strong as 40 mph; most of the top gusts were recorded between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.

As of 6 a.m., winds were picking up in the South Bay, Riley said. At 3:37 a.m. Mineta San Jose International Airport reported a gust of 44 mph, according to the weather service.

Flights at all three airports were running on time as of 8 a.m. Monday morning, but passengers were advised to check in with their respective airlines and flights throughout the day.

The wind gusts have knocked down trees and power lines throughout the Bay Area, at one point leaving about 14,000

customers without power; according to PG&E. By 7 a.m., there were more than 12,000 customers without power.

As of 4:15 a.m., power outages affected about 11,000 customers on the peninsula, according to JD Guidi, a spokesman for PG&E. Outages also affected about 1,260 customers in the South Bay, 830 in the East Bay and 972 in the North Bay, Guidi said.

"These are various weather-related outages due to the high winds," Guidi said. "We have crews working as quickly and safely as possible."

The win also was responsible for at least one car getting smashed. A vehicle in the 400 block of Ridgeview Drive in Pleasant Hill was damaged heavily by a falling tree at about 2 a.m., police said.

Guidi reminded people who come across downed power lines to treat it as if it were live and avoid making any contact. Anyone who comes across such a line should first call 911 and then report it to PG&E, Guidi said.

In unincorporated San Mateo County, all lanes of Highway 84 were closed at 5:15 a.m. because of fallen power lines on the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol. The lines were reported down at about 4:40 a.m., the CHP said. A Sig-alert was issued at 5:15 a.m.

The strong winds are a

result of a mild storm system that moved through the Bay Area overnight, dropping as much as three-tenths of an inch of rain, Riley said. As the storm system moved south and east, high pressure began to build, causing the strong winds.

Windy conditions are expected to subside later in the day, and pick up again tonight, Riley said.

A warming trend is expected to hit the Bay Area on Wednesday, with temperatures about 5 to 10 degrees above normal expected, Riley said. Temperatures on Wednesday are expected to hit 83 degrees in San Jose, 78 in Oakland and 80 in Palo Alto.

Rick Hurd and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869. Follow him on Twitter @MarkMgomez ___

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