Strongest October storm since 1962 pounds Bay Area

The strongest October storm in 47 years is sweeping across the Bay Area today, forcing evacuations from Antioch to Santa Cruz, wreaking havoc on commuters and causing power outages to thousands.

At least one person — a 72-year-old woman driving on Highway 1 at Devil's Slide— died during the wet, windy.

About 60 homes in Davenport have been evacuated this morning as heavy rain has inundated the area burned in last summer's Lockheed fire, raising the danger of mudslides, according to a Santa Cruz County spokeswoman. A reverse 911 system was activated at 8:30 a.m. to alert residents along Swanton Road to evacuate. A Red Cross center has been set up in Davenport to serve the evacuees.

In San Lorenzo Valley, the schools were closed because of some flooding.

Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said the last October storm of this magnitude to hit the region happened in 1962.

The storm dumped huge amounts of water on some areas.

By mid-afternoon, Ben Lomond had recorded 7.53 inches of rain since the storm began, according to the National Weather Service. Mt. Umunhum received 7.0 inches, Palo Alto 1.07 inches, 2.10 inches in San Francisco, and 3.27 inches in Oakland.

San Jose received just under an inch of rain in the six-hour period from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the NWS Web site.

Today, one of the South Bay's top water officials, whose agency has struggled with three years in a row of drought, took time out to have new windshield wipers installed in his car.

"This is a great start! I hope it continues,'' said Sig Sanchez, chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "Now we have to worry about flooding. I'm beginning to wonder which is worse, a flood or a drought. But right now, I'll take the water."

Aside from traffic that slowed to a crawl through most of the Bay Area, the storm caused numerous power outages throughout the South Bay, according to PG&E spokesman Matt Nauman.

As of 8:30 a.m., there were about 9,000 customers without power in the San Jose area, Nauman said. He added that PG&E crews were "poised and ready" this morning to tackle the numerous outages.

"It will probably get worse before it gets better," Nauman said.

The weather service issued a flood advisory warning for Santa Clara County, stating that heavy rainfall and runoff may cause flooding on some roadways.

It's not yet clear whether a fatal collision on Highway 1 near Devil's Slide this morning was weather-related, California Highway Patrol officials said. The 73-year-old woman driving the car collided with another vehicle head-on at about 7:45 a.m., according to the CHP. The road were closed for part of the morning.

In the East Bay city of Antioch, firefighters helped two adults and a baby from an apartment building surrounded by "waist-deep" rainwater. Police advised the rest of the neighborhood on O Street to voluntarily evacuate. About 3,000 customers in the East Bay lost power for at least parts of the day.

The origins of the storm stem from a western Pacific typhoon named Melor that affected Japan last week, according to the weather service.

The wet weather and winds had the San Jose Fire Department hopping.

"We're working 100 little, teeny, tiny things,'' dispatcher Randy Christopher said. "There's lots of wires hitting each other, causing sparks. There's lots and lots and lots of tree limbs falling down. But there's nothing that's too dangerous to life and limb.''

San Francisco International Airport is reporting weather-related delays of up to three hours, mostly affecting incoming flights. Those delays will in turn affect outgoing flights, a spokesman said.

The weather service reported that three inches of rain had fallen in some parts of the Santa Cruz mountains, and Santa Cruz County transportation officials said that Lompico Road was closed at Lake Boulevard; Sequoia Road was closed at Trevor Street and Valencia Road was closed at Flume, all due to downed trees, wires or high water in Aptos Creek.

The strongest winds are expected along the coast and in higher elevations, according to the weather service. Wind gusts between 50-65 mph are likely.

In the Sierra, the storm dumped at least a half foot of snow in the mountains and heavy rain that snarled traffic in the valleys.

More than a foot of snow was expected in some places by the end of the day with winds gusting up to 50 mph in Reno, where several traffic accidents were reported on the slick roads.

Three to six inches of snow had fallen by midday at Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe between Reno and Lake Tahoe, and at Sugar Bowl near Truckee, Calif., officials for the ski resorts said. Between 10 and 14 inches was expected by nightfall at Mount Rose.

Neither resort plans to open this weekend but Sugar Bowl spokesman Jon Monson said the snow will make for a good base when they do.

"You want the wet heavy stuff first rather than the wet dry stuff," Monson said.

Boreal Mountain Resort opened last weekend and plans to open again this weekend.