2 Dead, Thousands Without Power as Another Storm Slams California

Recent storm damages lead to road closures in the Bolsa Chica area of Huntington Beach, Calif., on March 21, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

More than 112,000 customers remained without power in California the afternoon of March 22 after yet another intense storm slammed the state, bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force winds.

Utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) said the storm system “exceeded all expectations as the center of the low-pressure system tracked right through the Bay Area instead of glancing the coast as weather models predicted; this resulted in very strong wind gusts throughout the Bay Area.”

According to the utility giant, winds of 89 mph, 81 mph, and 77 mph were recorded in Santa Clara County, Alameda County, and San Francisco, respectively.

“In addition, nearly 250 weather stations recorded peak wind gusts of 50 mph or higher,” the company said.

Despite the intense weather, PG&E said its crews are “making progress” in restoring power to customers and are working as fast as possible to assess equipment damaged by the storm.

However, PG&E spokesperson Carina Corral warned on Twitter that flooding, fallen trees, and other obstacles are creating issues for crews to access and restore damaged power lines.

2 Dead, 5 Injured in Storm

The state has been hit with a number of atmospheric rivers in recent months, bringing with them heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds as well as severe flooding.

Near-record snowfall has also hit the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about one-third of California’s water. Snow levels have risen to over 180 percent of the average level for April 1. The latest storm has bought with it a colder load of moisture, meaning yet more snow in higher coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada range.

The latest storm took down trees and injured at least five people—four of them critically—across multiple locations, San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Johnathan Baxter told CNN.

A passenger in a vehicle was killed in Walnut Creek, a city in Contra Costa County, after a tree fell on the vehicle, the fire department said.

Another person was killed when a tree fell onto his moving vehicle on Alpine Road in Portola Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol. That incident occurred at about 1:34 p.m. Officers responded to the scene and removed some of the large branches that had fallen on top of the van but found the man had died, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Elsewhere, a big rig overturned on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge amid strong winds, prompting several hours of closures for four eastbound lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Pacific Coast Highway from Warmer Avenue to Seapoint Street in Huntington Beach, near Bolsa Chica State Beach, was also closed due to flooding, The Orange County Register reported.

According to the National Weather Service, the widespread rain, strong winds, and heavy mountain snow will continue across parts of central and Southern California on March 22 before gradually clearing up on March 23, with most flood warnings set to expire before then. However, another storm system could be on the way as soon as next week.

The latest wet weather has meant that millions of people in Southern California have had mandatory water restrictions lifted amid drought-busting rainfall, which has boosted reservoirs and eased severe shortages.

As of March 14, only 36.4 percent of California remained in “moderate drought,” according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update.