Santa Cruz County will keep its emergency shelters—at 846 Front St. in Santa Cruz and 215 E. Beach St. in Watsonville—open tonight as Mother Nature gears up to dish out another round of inclement weather.
And as emergency crews respond to car accidents and deal with downed power lines, others have been racing up the mountains to enjoy snow-based recreation.
In a post on its website this afternoon, PG&E acknowledged the improved weather conditions across the state but warned of potential danger in the hours ahead.
“PG&E crews continue to work to assess the damage and restore service to customers in hard-hit areas, which were battered this week by winter storms that brought strong winds and snow levels lower than typical,” the spokesperson said. “We understand the importance of electricity to you and your family. Your comfort, warmth and safety are our priority.”
Over 970,000 power customers have been impacted—although 97% of outages had already been restored by noon Sunday.
“PG&E is focused on restoring those in hard-hit areas that have been experiencing extended outages while preparing for the incoming weather,” the spokesperson said. “Customers are urged to stay safe and remain prepared.”
In fact, at 6:24pm, a Santa Cruz County spokesperson said on Twitter that Graham Hill Road had opened after PG&E cleared wires and a broken power pole from the route.
Meanwhile, the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Management sent a warning that drug and alcohol use in freezing weather can be fatal.
“Individuals with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart and liver disease, alcoholism or drug intoxication, are the most vulnerable to hypothermia during frigid weather,” an official for the agency tweeted.
The National Weather Service Bay Area said the storm will continue through early Wednesday and will likely bring snow to areas above 2,500 feet.
And along with the frigid news, here are some good tidings:
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History reported it had documented the extremely rare Santa Cruz Mountains beardtongue—a perennial herb that typically doesn’t appear until at least May.
“Talk about early bloomers…” a spokesperson for the museum wrote, adding, “we found it locally amongst the snow! This! week!”
Lived here for 15 years 70 and 80s. Miss you alot. Enjoy reading Good times thanks, Marianne