Storm Blows Through Marin, Keeps Emergency Crews Busy Overnight

Marin County was pounded by high winds and rain Saturday night and Sunday morning, but the most serious problems had subsided by daylight, according to fire departments around the county.

The most calls for service were in Bolinas, Inverness and Point Reyes, said Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Bill Roberts.

“We had a long night last night, probably 50 or 60 incidents of wires down, trees down, et cetera,” he said. “There were a few incidents that blocked roads, but I don’t know of any injuries.”

Roberts said a tree fell into a house in the Oak Manor area of Fairfax. Battalion Chief Greg McGrath of the Ross Valley Fire Department said the tree took out a living room and prompted the residents to find another place to stay overnight.

Mill Valley Fire Department had about a dozen calls, mostly of trees into power lines and mostly in the Edgewood area, Captain Michael St. John said. A large oak tree fell on Janes Street near Montford Avenue, closing the road well into Sunday afternoon, St. John said.

Fire contacts in Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Rafael and Novato all reported no serious incidents but an array of wires down from the high winds overnight. The California Highway Patrol reported no major accidents in Marin.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had more than 14,000 residents of the North Bay without power Sunday morning, but there were widespread power outages in Marin.

In Novato, a tree fell across Wildhorse Valley Drive and a power transformer blew near the intersection of Simmons Lane and San Marin Drive, a firefighter said. Novato fire crews responded to an injury accident on a flooded part of northbound Highway 101 near the Marin-Sonoma county line that required extrication of several vehicle occupants.

As of 7:45 a.m., the 24-hour rainfall figures around Marin included 2.42 inches in Point Reyes, 1.95 inches in Novato, 1.83 inches in Kentfield, 1.29 inches in Corte Madera and 1.13 inches at Dillon Beach. The figures were based on data from the Marin County Department of Public Works gauges.

A Fairfax monitor showed water flow in Corte Madera Creek peaked at about 11:15 p.m. Saturday at about 6 feet deep, with 7.2 feet as critical level. About 20 minutes later, San Anselmo had its peak reading of 9 feet, with 13 feet being critical level.

A high wind advisory was in effect for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. "High box trucks and big rigs, and virtually anything with a sail, should be particularly concerned," CHP Officer Scott Cakebread said.

Breezy, rainy weather was forecast for Sunday with a slight chance of  thunderstorms and highs in the 50s, according to the National Weather Service. Southwest winds from 20 to 30 mph were anticipated with gusts to as high as 60 mph. Rain and possible thunderstorms were projected to continue through Monday with highs in the 50s. 

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.