Copyright Newsweek
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists warned more than 3 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area to stay away from their windows on Tuesday afternoon as an atmospheric river ushered in fierce, damaging winds. "Remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows," a high wind warning for the area said. The winds will be strong enough to blow around unsecured objects, which could cause hazards, NWS lead meteorologist Matt Mehle told Newsweek. Why It Matters Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The storms brought by atmospheric rivers are known for their heavy snow, heavy rain and strong winds. They are more commonly found on the West Coast, particularly during the winter months. Although the storms can bring beneficial snow that helps supplement reservoirs throughout the summer dry season, they can also trigger deadly flooding, mudslides and widespread power outages. What To Know A high wind warning and several other weather alerts were issued by the NWS office in San Francisco on Tuesday. South winds will blow at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph expected. Isolated gusts of 65 mph could occur as well, the warning said. The damaging winds will impact Marin Hills and Coastal North Bay, including the Point Reyes National Seashore. Roughly 30,000 people reside in the warning area. The warning will go into effect at 10 p.m. local time Tuesday and remain in place until 4 p.m. Wednesday. "Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected," NWS San Francisco said in the high wind warning. More than 12,000 people in California were without power as of Tuesday afternoon, according to a map from poweroutage.us. "Travel could be extremely difficult and hazardous, especially for high profile vehicles," the warning said. In addition to the high wind warning, a wind advisory asking people to stay away from their windows was issued for most of the Bay Area. Winds could gust up to 45 mph in the advisory area. What People Are Saying NWS San Francisco, in a post to X: "We're still tracking an impactful storm system slated to move into our region later tonight. Strong wind gusts & periods of rain are forecast. The heavy rainfall will impact the Wednesday AM commute, so plan accordingly for tomorrow!" NWS San Francisco, in another post to X: "Wind Advisory issued for most of the Bay Area and Santa Cruz Mountains Tuesday night through Wednesday due to gusts 35-45 mph. Unsecured objects will blow away, downed tree limbs will cause isolated power outages, and high profile vehicles will be difficult to drive." What Happens Next The winds will pose a hazard to coastal California through Wednesday afternoon. People are advised to remain on the first level of their home and stay away from windows until the winds subside.
