Recovery efforts that stretched through Wednesday were expected to continue on Christmas Day on the heels of the second of two overnight windstorms that wreaked havoc across Sonoma County and the area.
Wednesday evening’s gusts, anticipated to reach up to 54 mph, aren’t expected to be as strong as what passed Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. They nonetheless have the potential to intensify the wave of damage mostly felt in the rural communities of western Sonoma County and Mendocino County.
Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
Chris looks for personal possessions in the room he and his wife were sleeping in along with a child, when an 150-foot redwood tree crashed through their home on River Road west of Guerneville, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. The child sustained a minor injury. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
Diego Montano takes in the scene at his living room after a 150 foot redwood tree uprooted during strong winds on River Road west of Guerneville, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, and crashed in to the home. His niece was slightly injured. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Three cars were crushed by a giant redwood tree before in fell through a home Christmas Eve Wed., Dec. 24, 2025 on Hwy 116 in Guerneville. A child and two adults asleep at the time narrowly missed being seriously injured.
One of two cars smashed on a neighbors’ property by a fallen tree that smashed a home on Highway 116 in Guerneville on Dec. 24, 2025 (Anna Armstrong / The Press Democrat)
A driveway along Highway 116 in Guerneville was flooded from overnight and early morning storms that hit the North Bay on Dec. 24, 2025 (Anna Armstrong / The Press Democrat)
A redwood tree crushed three vehicles and a home after toppling in strong winds on River Road west of Guerneville, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
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Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
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Chris looks for personal possessions in the room he and his wife were sleeping in along with a child, when an 150-foot redwood tree crashed through their home on River Road west of Guerneville, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. The child sustained a minor injury. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
Forecasters had anticipated gusts to peak at 75 mph between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but some areas surpassed expectations. The strongest Sonoma Coast gust in that period reached 79 mph near Oak Ridge. That was followed by a 78-mph gust off King Ridge Road.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Dylan Flynn said the biggest impacts from the storm will have passed by Thursday morning, good news for Christmas travelers.
“The only issue traveling today is what happened last night,” he said Wednesday morning of the previous night’s damage.
It was the result of two specific factors: Saturated soil brought upon by heavy rainfall from a week-long atmospheric river; and gusty winds that surpassed 70 mph and were strongest along the Sonoma County coast. The combination allowed trees to more-easily fall over, crashing down into at least two homes and blocking numerous other roads.
Showers are expected Thursday night into Friday, with periods of rain likely both days and temperatures in the low 50s. Winds could be breezy, especially Thursday night, and rainfall amounts may be steady though generally moderate.
Recovery efforts may progress amid thunderstorms that could potentially develop throughout Thursday. Occasional showers are likely and total rainfall in Sonoma County should range between 0.50 to 1 inch.
Sonoma County and the rest of the Bay Area remain under a flood watch through 10 p.m. Friday.
Concerns about the Russian River flooding had been nonexistent all week and were further downplayed by Wednesday. The latest forecasts showed the lower river was expected to crest Friday at 21.5 feet — well below the flood stage level of 32 feet in Guerneville.
Brian Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the weather system lacked the prolonged, steady rainfall typically associated with major flooding on the Russian River. “If anything, the ones we got to watch are kind of the flashier basins, the ones that rise and fall quickly. I think Mark West is a good example of that, Sonoma County,” he said.
Winds that barged in while people slept were still expected to be the prevailing factor in damage from the outgoing storms.
Glenn Benjamin, inspects damage to his tenants vehicles at the corner of Lincoln Street and March Ave., in Healdsburg, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Strong overnight winds toppled the tree. At right is Joel Dericco. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Glenn Benjamin, left, owner of a rented out property, in the background, inspects damage to tenants’ vehicles at the corner of Lincoln Street and March Avenue, in Healdsburg, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Strong overnight winds toppled the tree. At right is Joel Dericco. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
A large tree crushed two vehicles after strong winds blew the tree over, Wednesday , Dec. 24, 2025, at the corner of Lincoln Street and University Ave., in Healdsburg. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Graton Fire Protection District firefighters, including volunteer Shane Skikos, left, move an acacia tree from the middle of Cherry Ridge Road near Graton, Wednesday , Dec. 24, 2025. The tree was uprooted overnight by winds. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
A television reporter surveys the scene of a redwood tree which crushed three vehicles and a house on River Road west of Guerneville, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Occidental Volunteer Fire Department personnel begin to chainsaw numerous large fir and madrone trees blocking Occidental Camp Meeker Road, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, as the first in a potent series of windstorms strike the North Bay. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Occidental Volunteer Fire Department personnel begin to chainsaw numerous large fir and madrone trees blocking Occidental Camp Meeker Road, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
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Glenn Benjamin, inspects damage to his tenants vehicles at the corner of Lincoln Street and March Ave., in Healdsburg, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Strong overnight winds toppled the tree. At right is Joel Dericco. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
The California Highway Patrol received numerous calls about downed trees between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. By the time wind eased and the sun began to shine, emergency crews reported the biggest damage was to two Guerneville homes crushed by a downed tree.
The destruction was in the 17000 block of Highway 116, where a 3-year-old child suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital as a precaution, said Cyndi Foreman, division chief fire marshal with the Sonoma County Fire District. Neither home was habitable after sustaining the damage.
A resident of one of the damaged homes declined an interview but said that two cars next door were smashed by the fallen tree. He added that his family members were safe and suffered only minor injuries. He also said that his family are sad the damage happened on Christmas Eve but “it comes with living in this area.”
Dyann Green lives just down the street and said no one could sleep because of the storms.
“It was horrible,” she said.
Green said when the tree came crashing down on the home she heard a loud noise and felt shaking in her house.
Green was spared from the worst of the storm but said her yard is littered with limbs and debris and a small portion of her fence came down.
Norm Green and Joey Moreland of Green Tree Service were assessing the damage of the house in Guerneville, but said it’s been a busy day across the North Bay.
Moreland, a resident of Rio Nido who also works with Timberline Tree Service, started his morning early by helping remove a tree limb from a resident’s roof.
Calls have been coming in from across Sonoma County and as far north as Lake County, Norm Green said.
Still, he said about 70 percent of calls come out of western Sonoma County.
“We expect this,” Norm Green said, referring to the storm damage in West County. “We get ready for it.”
Norm Green said this storm was particularly powerful, calling the scene “a war zone.”
With more days of rain and wind ahead, the pair said they expect it will be a busy few days for the business.
High winds from the overnight storm kept city crews busy in Healdsburg, as officials assessed damage.
A large oak tree fell onto parked cars at the corner of University and Lincoln streets, prompting police to advise motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area while crews removed the tree.
Storm damage was also reported in the Healdsburg Plaza, where a large branch from an oak tree in the southwest portion of the plaza fell overnight, damaging the city’s decorated holiday tree and two gift box displays.
Because the lighting system is interconnected, the holiday tree lights cannot be repaired and will not be relit this season, Ray Holley, a city spokesperson said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
City crews roped off the southwest quarter of the plaza as a precaution, and a professional tree service was scheduled to remove the damaged oak tree Friday morning. Holley said the damage to the oak was significant and it was not safe to leave the tree in place.
Additional downed trees were reported elsewhere in Healdsburg, including at the corner of Chablis and Chiquita streets.
City officials urged residents to report flooding, downed trees not blocking roadways or power outages to the city’s emergency utility hotline, and to call 911 for emergencies threatening life or property.
Western Sonoma County was hit hardest by a series of power outages that left upwards of 7,162 Pacific, Gas & Electric customers in the dark as of 5 a.m. Wednesday. Another 839 customers lost electricity in the Bennett Valley area east of Rohnert Park.
At 2:20 p.m., more than 17,000 PG&E customers in Sonoma County were without power.
All streetlights in Guerneville were out for most of the day and most local businesses were closed. PG&E was unable to give an update as to when power would be restored.
In Santa Rosa, two PG&E helicopters were dispatched to fly over to monitor and inspect the area for any downed power lines, according to a spokesperson from the agency.
Jason Clay, a spokesperson for the Cal Fire’s Lake, Napa, Sonoma unit, said the department was busy responding to calls of downed trees and power lines in Napa and Lake Counties.
Between 4 and 7 a.m., Clay said the St. Helena area was hit hard by wind with numerous reports of downed trees. Between 7:30 and 9 a.m., he said the agency was responding to a lot of calls of trees in houses and roads in the area around Cobb Mountain, working with the South Lake County Fire Protection District.
Cal Fire LNU has set up a task force in Lake County with one staffed engine ready to respond to storm-related calls.
“We are prepared and ready to support our local partners as needed,” Clay said.