Storm packs a wallop, more is on the way

High winds and rain battered the Peninsula yesterday but the worst is yet to come as a new bank of heavy weather hits today, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm shut down Main Street in Half Moon Bay, caused 12,000 people in San Mateo County to lose power and put Caltrain crews on high alert to combat any potential disruptions to service.

Pacific Gas and Electric crews were busy responding to downed power lines in San Mateo, Pacifica, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay and Burlingame. The storm caused power outages for at least 150,000 statewide, said PG&E spokeswoman Fiona Chan.

"All hands are on deck," Chan said.

A PG&E crew responded to a resident's home on Cottage Grove Avenue in San Mateo after a utility pole came down in someone's backyard, Chan said. The utility company is bracing for a full week of bad weather, Chan said.

Caltrain's service was delayed yesterday morning but it was not weather related, spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew said. Storm crews are on call, however, Bartholomew said.

National Weather Service forecasters are predicting this week to be the wettest of the season so far.

Portola Valley got 2.5 inches of rain, San Bruno Mountain received .7 inches and Crystal Springs Reservoir saw about .8 inches from Sunday through Monday afternoon. Wind speeds hit 59 mph at San Francisco International Airport.

A high surf warning will be in effect from 4 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Thursday as the coastside is expected to see 15 foot or higher waves.

Strong winds closed down Half Moon Bay City Hall after several plywood boards became loose.

At least three locations in Half Moon Bay had downed electrical wires - at Cedar and Acacia streets, in Montara, and at Park Avenue in Moss Beach. Emergency reports also indicated several instances of trees being blown over in El Granada, Montara, La Honda and Pescadero.

The California Highway Patrol reported multiple spinouts, flooded roadways, debris and mudslides across the region. Yesterday's holiday kept traffic lighter than usual, however, according to the CHP.

San Mateo saw some light flooding, a few alarms went off and some loose doors were responded to, said San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer.

Public works crews in Burlingame cleaned out creeks and pipes prior to the storm and set up several locations to provide sandbags to residents, said Public Works Director Syed Murtuza.

"We had several calls this morning from our residents regarding localized flooding and had to call emergency crews to post signs and barricades as well as to deliver residents sandbags and to coordinate with the police department regarding some lane closures," Murtuza said. "Overall, so far we did OK for now but we still have a full week to go."

An urban and small stream flood advisory for Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties was issued yesterday.

Today's storm, the third in a series, will likely be similar to yesterday's storm, according to the National Weather Service.

The fourth and strongest storm is expected to roll in Wednesday, bringing an inch of rain to the Bay Area. By week's end, the storms could bring as much as 4 to 6 feet of snow in the Sierras, according to the weather service.