San Francisco Storm News Update: Highways Flooded, Power Outage on West Coast, Affected Areas Evacuate

By Staff Reporter | Dec 11, 2014 09:47 PM EST

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The new storm has already affected a few areas on the West Coast Thursday as it continues to pour down heavy rain accompanied by high-forced winds.

As a result, some parts of San Francisco is experiencing a black out so the San Francisco cable car system was shut down.

It was reported that the winds ranged from 78 mph to 147 mph in the Sierra region. Warnings for flash floods were also given in some parts of the Bay Area, including the highways which were already closed because of the flood.

According to the National Weather Service, the Big Sur experienced more than 4.5 inches of rain in the span of three hours.

In the San Francisco metro, Christmas decorations were smashed to the ground by the wind. A couple of trees have fallen down and blocked a few routes and disrupted power lines. According to records, this storm is considered to be "one of the strongest to his the West Coast in years."

The electricity in San Francisco's Financial District was cut after 7 a.m. EST, forcing workers to evacuate to top floors of buildings.

Vehicles like buses, were abandoned on the streets. The traffic on Highway 280 was worse since the flood had stalled the movement on the southbound side. Highway workers are now trying to clear the roads by shoveling the muds.

The National Weather Service also posted radio reports in 15-minute intervals advising passengers to "Turn around, don't drown."

There is a significant amount of rain expected to spread on the southern part of San Francisco including agri-areas like San Joaquin valleys and Sacramento, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. 

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