We returned from our winter trip north Thursday night to A STORM a few hours later. (Think 1 a.m. wind and rain tossing everything about and pounding the windows all through the night and into the next day...) We didn't get power for 36 hours, not bad in comparison to some in Marin -- but our luggage, opened in the dark, contents strewn about the apartment, was not pleasant come Saturday afternoon. When I download my personal pictures, I'll update more on that personal experience. For now, here's a little blurb on the local experience.


MARIN TAKES A BEATING...
(from the Marin Independent Journal)

MARIN COUNTY was all but paralyzed Friday as a spectacular storm walloped the county, pounding the region with hurricane-force winds and torrential rains that closed key thoroughfares.

Highway 101, Interstate 580, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard were all closed for a time Friday, leaving thousands idling in gridlock as their cars swayed in ferocious winds.

Winds reached hurricane strength on Marin's highest peaks, gusting to 83 mph on Lucas Valley's Big Rock Ridge and 78 mph on Angel Island. Truck traffic was banned after winds gusting to 70 mph rocked the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Transit bus and ferry service was suspended at the height of the storm.

Some 42,000 Marin residents were still without power Friday evening, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported. The biggest pockets of outages were 6,000 customers in Sausalito, 3,300 in Mill Valley and 2,900 in Fairfax, said PG&E spokeswoman Jana Schuering.

The storm dumped more than 4 inches of rain in San Rafael and Novato, and forecasters said light rain is likely to continue through Wednesday.

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was closed about 8:30 a.m. Friday after five big-rigs tipped over due to wind.

But it was the closure of Highway 101 at Interstate 580 after debris flew off the new flyover that really wreaked havoc in downtown San Rafael.

With the freeway closed in both directions, traffic was forced onto city streets, where high winds and power outages had taken out traffic signals at key intersections.