Strong winds blasted Humboldt County last night, wreaking its usual chaos. Power lines went down, roads got closed … and there is more on the way.
Most immediately of note, a slide took up both northbound lanes of Highway 101 near Shively at about a quarter to 6 this morning. As of right now, traffic in one lane is flowing while crews remove the debris, but the CHP promises “intermittent closures” for a while. Expect delays.
There are lots of more minor slides and spots of flooding along Highway 101 and around the county. Out CHPWatch page keeps tabs on active and past incidents on CHP-patrolled roads, so if you’re in doubt, check it out. Drive with caution.
Massive power outages struck Eureka and elsewhere in the middle of the night, when the wind was at its highest. Eureka is back on line, but others are not. As of right now, the biggest active power outages are:
- 442 customers in Ferndale
- 426 customers in Trinidad
- 370 customers in SoHum
- 355 customers in Orick
- 354 customers in Bayside
- 299 customers in Arcata
Lots of other places are still in the dark, as well. Full index here.
It’s going to rain all week, then clear up on the weekend. Full forecasts, along with recent running 1-hour and 24-hour rainfall totals, at LoCO Earth.