NWS: San Francisco under ‘life-threatening’ flash flooding warning

The National Weather Service, on Friday, issued an emergency phone alert to San Francisco County residents, warning them of “life-threatening” flash flooding. 

San Francisco residents are also warned of dangerous flooding as a powerful atmospheric river, propelled by a churning bomb cyclone, moves through the region.  

According to the weather service, heavy rain is causing the flooding, and the area could see an additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall.

Residents are advised to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas and move to higher ground during this period.

The California Highway Patrol reported that flooding has also closed a portion of northbound Interstate 280 near John Daly Boulevard. Drivers are being cautioned to watch for standing water or debris on the roads.

“We get it that a lot of folks will choose to go out in these conditions,” Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the weather service, told SFGATE. “But remember that doesn’t just affect you, that affects the people that have to come get you if something happens.”

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The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management also issued a warning on social media, urging the public to “avoid unnecessary travel. If you must be out avoid flooded areas & down power lines. Elevate belongings in garages or basements.”

Murdock described the flood warning as “rare” for the Bay Area, explaining that it was prompted by a narrow band of rain increasing the rainfall rate. The last flood warning in the county occurred on February 20.

“We’re still in the atmospheric river, and what happened over the last hour or two hours or so is we actually saw the forward momentum of the system,” Murdock explained.

Flash floods involve rapidly moving water and can seem like they “come out of nowhere,” he added.

“We take into consideration how much rainfall San Francisco can handle in terms of drainage,” Murdock said. “But also the rate of the rainfall, coupled with steep slopes in the city, makes driving in these conditions extremely dangerous.”

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