Flooding, Road Closures and Wind Advisories Impact Burlingame

Stormy weather has prompted flood warnings for parts of the Bay Area today, and authorities are urging residents to use caution on the roads.

Wind advisories have been issued for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Bay Bridge, CHP officer Mark Thomas said. The advisories were issued Wednesday night and will stay in effect indefinitely.

The weather service has issued urban and small stream flood advisories for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties.

Streams and creeks may rise but property damage should be minimal, National Weather Service officials said.

"The heaviest rain is in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties with up to a quarter-inch per hour," National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson said.

Anderson said there have been reports of small hail and lightning in the Point Reyes National Seashore.

The weather service has also issued a high-surf advisory for areas along the coast including the Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula coast, northern and southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur coast. The advisory will be in effect until 3 p.m. due to dangerous conditions related to tidal cycles, high winds onshore, and swells of up to 15 feet, according to the weather service.

"It's slowly moving south," Anderson said of the storm system. "The greater Bay Area will start to see some of that heavy rain by midday."

The greatest effects will be on the roadways, Anderson said. The California Highway Patrol is alerting motorists of flooded roadways and road closures. State Highway 29 is closed indefinitely due to snow between Bradford Road in Lake County and Tubbs Lane in Napa County, Thomas said. The closure came about after the CHP responded to multiple crashes in that area.

"We've run out of patrol cars to get to them, so it's closed indefinitely," Thomas said.

Burlingame residents should use caution while driving, especially along stretches of roads that typically flood, such as El Camino Real.

---Bay City News