Plus: Apple’s Vision Pro debuts at the company’s San Francisco flagship location… but was met with a less than crowded reception.
Mother Nature has an unpredictability about herself. Though we humans try our best to predict her capricious moves — undulations made only more pendulous by human-caused climate change — she can come at us with a curveball. This weekend’s record-breaking storm that descended on California is a perfect example of just that.
Here's a look at the top ten maximum wind gusts from across the area on Sunday. Wind headlines are still in effect until 8AM Monday. pic.twitter.com/RMRRplv9Hq
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) February 5, 2024
California received its first-ever Hurricane Force Wind Warning Saturday, per guidance by the SF Bay Area Chapter of the National Weather Service after 90 mph-plus winds were expected to blow along the coast near Big Sur. This warning came in tandem with caution from the agency of the possibility of tornadoes and severe thunderstorm wind gusts predicted to affect San Jose, and all south along the Central Coast.
Parts of San Francisco saw gusts as fast as 60 mph, while SFO and peninsula parts saw even more turbulent winds at nearly 80mph. But the eye-watering strong gale force winds occurred in the South Bay and North Bay, particularly in Marin — where a wind speed of 102 mph was recorded at Pablo Point, just six miles-per-hour short of the all-time fastest wind speed recorded in the SF Bay Area.
Thousands of SF Bay Area PG&E account holders lost power; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of trees were toppled; at least one small landslide was recorded in San Francisco, right 18th and Market streets.
Aside from light showers expected tomorrow, February 7th, it looks like we’ll be able to enjoy a good spat of clear(ish), dry(ish) weather until inevitably another storm system comes our way.
What else transpired over the weekend? Let’s take a look.
- Apple’s Vision Pro met with an SE level of excitement. Though Apple has heavily pushed its first new product launch in seven years, the nearly $3,500 virtual reality headset attracted only a small, anemic crowd for the debut event at the company’s Union Square flagship in San Francisco. More info.
- The Guadalupe River in San Jose swelled to exceptional levels, causing puppies and humans to need rescue. A small group of people and their dogs, who were camping on River Island — a small patch of land in the middle of the large river — required mercy rescue Sunday as the island became almost entirely swallowed by the growing river surrounding it; six people, three adult dogs and nine — yes, *nine* — puppies were all safely brought back to more stable grounds. More info.
- AsiaSF is closing after 26 years in SF’s South of Market neighborhood. The beloved eatery (that seamlessly combined drag preferences with upscale, Asian-inspired fare) announced its last day of operation will be March 31st, marking the end of an era. More info.
