When the clouds parted and the sun came out over Walnut Creek...

A reader, Dan Simoes, captured the rainbow over North Main Street when the sun briefly peeked its way out between the storm clouds at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Thanks so much for sharing these with everyone!

Power outages in Walnut Creek: that "scoop" and other news from PG&E

And  also from  PG&E: its Bay Area storm status update as of 3 p.m., including the news--good or bad, depending on your point of view--that strong storms are expected to contine through the week. The bad news, of course, includes possible power outages. You can check the PG&E power outage map here at the PG&E media newsroom.

PG&E crews have been working around the clock to restore power to our customers affected by this significant storm series.

Strong storms are expected to continue impacting our service area throughout the week, with the most powerful weather front expected to arrive on Wednesday. PG&E is preparing for this new front by bringing in additional contract crews and mutual aid crews from other utilities to assist with restoration efforts.


It is important that customers prepare for the possibility that their electricity could be out for the next several days, and if the power has been restored, it could go out again because of this upcoming stronger weather system.

Schools in the hardest hit areas may be without power beginning Wednesday morning. Please contact your local school or school district office for more information.


Power outages can be reported to PG&E by calling (800) 743-5002. We appreciate our customers' patience as we work to assess damage and restore power as safely and quickly as possible.

So far, a total of more than 477,000 customers have had their service affected. As of 2:45 p.m., more than 53,000 customers were without power throughout the service area. More than 4,400 customers were without power in the Bay Area.

Think Tuesday's winds wreaked havoc on the Bay Bridge? Check out the storm damage on South Main Street!

One of Walnut Creek's own, Pavel Soltys, sent in these photos, showing one of the ways our own downtown was affected by the same windstorm that is implicated in Tuesday evening's damage to the Bay Bridge's eastern span. The San Francisco Chronicle says that "high winds" caused a steel crossbeam and two steel tie rods to snap off and fall to the upper deck.

As you know, this damage and the subsequent attempts to repair it have forced the closure of the Bay Bridge, at least through tomorrow.

But, Walnut Creek suffered its own share of windstorm damage and transportation hell Tuesday evening, besides the downed tree branch shown in these photos. Power outages, believed to have been caused by high winds, affected traffic signals along Ygnacio Valley Boulevard.

By the way, Pavel, works with a company called Comfort Assisting, a local company that provides professional in-home adult care services. I'm sure that's a kind of service that some of us might one day need to rely on for our parents or relatives--or, one day, for ourselves. Anyway, Pavel, thanks for sharing these very cool photos!

Get ready for the rain and wind. Big storm sweeping into the Bay Area

I'm excited. As much as I like this mild, sunny October weather, I also like storms. And we have one coming into the Bay Area. The National Weather Service says that heavy and potentially high winds are expected to accompany a significant rainstorm that will arrive late Monday and last into early Wednesday.

It is a "potent storm, especially for October. ... A potentially serious weather situation ... This will be a very dramatic change from the typical late summer patter this area has been experiencing."

Expect light rain to begin Monday afternoon, with the heaviest rain and winds coming in Tuesday. Rainfall could reach up to 3 inches along the coast and in the valleys.

The upside to the rain? Well, we can use it in our parched wildlands and maybe it will lower the fire danger through the rest of the fire season.

The downside? Urban and small stream flooding ... High winds that can knock down trees and power lines ... Hazardous driving conditions ... For those living near any areas burned in any summer fires, there is a risk of mud and debris flowing down hills.

The storm originates from Melor, a Western Pacific typhoon that hit Japan last week. I know, I know. This is meterology 101, but it is humbling, right now, to think that a weather event that on the other side of the world will soon affect us.