Wednesday’s storm, which saw coastal gusts at 63 mph at its peak near Arcata, cut power for Humboldt County residents and knocked over several trees into businesses and roads, necessitating multiple closures.
Most of the 80 reports the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received on Thursday about downed trees and powerlines were centered around the McKinleyville, Trinidad, Blue Lake and Willow Creek areas, said spokesperson Samantha Karges. As of the Times-Standard’s print deadline, several roads, including Old Arcata Road, were closed due to a mix of fallen trees, powerlines and flooding.
“Multiple trees came down in (McKinleyville), taking out powerlines and some buildings damaged, including the Subway,” Patrick Kaspari, general manager with the McKinleyville Community Services District, said in an email. “None of McKinleyville CSD’s facilities were damaged. I don’t know the estimates for other damage. Haven’t heard of any injuries.”
State Route 254, or Avenue of the Giants, is closed from Holmes Flat Road to Barkdull Road due to flooding, and there is no estimated time of reopening, said Manny Machado, a Caltrans spokesperson. On Wednesday, Caltrans removed a tree that fell on U.S. Highway 101 between Trinidad and Orick.
Over Friday and into the weekend, rains and wind will continue via the atmospheric river hovering over most of California, but on a less comparable scale to Wednesday’s storm. Winds are expected to range from 40 to 50 mph on Friday, and three to four inches of rain were forecast to fall on Humboldt County’s lower elevations, with higher elevations seeing upwards of six inches, said Josh Wood, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Eureka.
Wood added that the Eel River is expected to flood through the weekend around Fernbridge, and in Mendocino County, the Russell River at Hopland and Navarro River are also forecast to flood.
“Be mindful of your surroundings and where you’re at when those winds are picking up,” Wood said. “Looking around and seeing what’s what’s loosened already that could potentially come down in your yard. The flooding as well when you’re out and about driving when these rains come into the weekend be extra mindful of ponding on the road and water that can collect on the roadways and areas since the ground is so saturated, everything’s kind of filled up right now.”
Chunks of McKinleyville still do not have power, affecting at least 766 residents, according to Pacific Gas and Electric’s outage map. The estimated time of power restoration for parts of inner McKinleyville was 10 p.m. on Thursday.
The National Weather Service also issued a high surf warning for the Humboldt Bay area due to waves that will break at roughly 30-feet high. The waves will be capable of sweeping people into the ocean and mariners traversing the bar are urged to exercise extreme caution or stay in port until the threat subsides. The alert will end at 6 a.m. on Friday.
“Just as residents are doing, we also continue to follow the weather forecasts closely,” Machado said via email. “Safety is our No. 1 priority, and we are taking all the necessary steps to keep the roadways safe.”
Find more information
A full list of affected county roads can be found at https://humboldtgov.org/1422/Road-Conditions.
PG&E’s outage map is at https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/.
Residents who need to drive can check quickmap.dot.ca.gov for an updated list of road closures on state highways.
Residents can sign up for Humboldt County emergency alerts at humboldtgov.org/alerts.
Jackson Guilfoil can be reached at 707-441-0506.