SAN FRANCISCO – Powerful storms battered the Bay Area over the holiday, leaving damage from the North Bay to the South Bay and causing travel disruptions on Friday at San Francisco International Airport, the day after Christmas.
High winds led to flight delays at SFO, where officials said arrivals were placed under a ground delay. As of early morning, at least 153 flights had been delayed due to gusty conditions.
Among those affected were travelers from Georgia heading to Southern California.Â
Ruby Montesinos said her family’s flight, originally scheduled to depart at 7 a.m., was delayed by more than two hours.
“We were supposed to leave at 7, but we’re leaving at 9:30,” Montesinos said. “It sounds pretty delayed. I’m a little worried that it’s probably going to shift.”
Across the region, heavy rain flooded roads and toppled trees. In Menlo Park, residents woke up on Christmas Eve to flooded streets, floating vehicles and widespread messes that made some areas impassable.
“The only thing that really happened in terms of the storm was flooding,” said Damian Montesinos. “You couldn’t even get through the area because it was so flooded.”
Storm conditions also prompted a tornado warning in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley. In the North Bay, downed trees knocked power lines onto roads, leading to outages and complicating cleanup efforts for crews.
Officials urged residents and travelers to remain cautious as storm impacts continue across the Bay Area.