Storm Continues To Batter Santa Cruz Mountains, North Bay
BOULDER CREEK (CBS SF) -- A potent storm front continued to pound the Bay Area with intense pre-dawn downpours and gusty winds in the North Bay and in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The National Weather Service said over the last 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. Monday -- Kentfield had gotten 4.57 inches, Novato had received 3.90 inches, Santa Rosa 3.17 inches, Mill Valley 2.17 inches, Ben Lomond 3.42 inches and Loma Prieta 3.75 inches.
"(The) southwest movement of the upper low (pressure system) will also result in decreasing rainfall across our area this afternoon, as well as a continued downward trend in winds," the weather service said.
As the low pressure system moved southward, it took the atmospheric river with it, focusing the Central Coast and the Monterey-Big Sur area.
Showers were forecast to taper off on Tuesday, but a new weather system with more showers was predicted to roll into the Bay Area on Friday.
In the Sierra, several feet of new snow fell at the Lake Tahoe ski resorts and slowed travelers attempting to return late Sunday.
"It's really rough," said Chris Mondragon as he was removing the chains on his vehicle. "It's really snowy. This is my first time driving with chains on. It kind of sucked. It was a little difficult."
Ryan Vaughn also battled the conditions to return home.
"I'm from Minnesota originally so for me I'm kind of used to it," he said. "But not used to it going over a mountain."
In the Santa Cruz Mountains on Summit Road off Highway 17, families braved showers and treacherous conditions on the road to enjoy the annual tradition of cutting down their holiday tree.
"Today is pretty slow but we get the hard core people out here on days like these," said Eric Hoffner, the owner of the Peacock Tree Farm .
The stormy weather in the Bay Area and along the East Coast continued to raise havoc in with Thanksgiving travelers attempting to fly home.
San Francisco International said it had 66 flight delays and 14 cancellations as of early Monday. Officials warned travelers and people picking up people at the airport to check with the airlines for possible delays.
