As a new wave of rain from an “atmospheric river” brought more buckets of rain to the Bay Area on Thursday, air travelers and motorists continued to feel the fallout.
Airplanes at San Francisco and Oakland international airports struggled to get in the air on time — when they got there at all — while cars navigated roads blocked by flooding and routes made more treacherous by high winds.
At San Francisco, 115 flights were cancelled by 3 p.m., airport spokesman Doug Yakel said, but all but five of those happened befgre noon. On Wednesday — a day that saw a record rainfall total (2.5 inches) for Feb. 13 in San Francisco — the airport scrubbed 176 flights altogether.
About 1,250 planes fly out of San Francisco daily.
In Oakland, six flights were cancelled, the same total that was lost Wednesday. All of those flights were scrapped before the afternoon, because of weather situations elsewhere in the United States, airport spokeswoman Keonnis Taylor said.
Delays were rampant at both airports, too. In San Francisco, 315 flights were delayed an average of 45 minutes.
Oakland’s flight board listed 60 delays to flights in and out of the airport.
At Mineta San Jose International Airport, three flights were cancelled early Thursday, but things were running smoothly into the afternoon.
Flying wasn’t the only challenge.
Flooding forced the closure of the Alemany Boulevard exit on Highway 101 at the Interstate 280 junction, according to the California Highway Patrol.
On westbound I-80, chains were required on all vehicles except four-wheel drives with snow tires. Chain control began at the Nevada state line and lasted until just west of Highway 20, according to the California Department of Transportation On eastbound I-80, chains were required from Cisco in Placer County to the Nevada state line.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind advisory for the Yolo Causeway and the Bryte Bend on I-80, west of Sacramento.
Chains also were required for all but four-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on state Highway 50 from Kyburz to Twin Bridges in El Dorado County. Traffic was unable to pass the Echo Summit in either direction for just less than an hour, as crews provided avalanche control.
Flooding also forced a partial closure of I-505 near Woodland in both directions, as well as the reduction to one lane on areas of I-5.
The I-505 closure lasted around 15 miles in both directions, from state Highway 16 to the I-5 junction, Caltrans said. There was no estimate for when it would re-open.
On I-5, traffic going north was reduced to one lane for about a mile just north of Lakehead because of emergency repairs. Southbound traffic was reduced to one lane in Williams past 3 p.m.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were expected in the Sierra Nevada and the snow levels were expected to fall from 8,000 feet to the valley floors, according to the NWS. Forecasters said snow was expected to fall heavily.
The winds were heavy in the Bay Area, too. The California Highway Patrol issued a wind advisory for the Benicia Bridge early Thursday after reporting wind gusts of up to 50 mph.
Downed trees and defective traffic signals also affected areas of Highway 50 on Thursday morning, according to Caltrans.
Sections of Highway 1 also remained closed south of Big Sur, because of fears of mudslides.
Motorists were urged to check with the Caltrans before going anywhere.
Check back for updates.