High winds throughout Monterey County blew down trees and power lines everywhere on Wednesday, Feb. 13, prompting many agencies to cancel meetings and events or shut down public access to parks and open spaces for the rest of the day and into Thursday.
UPDATE: Carmel Unified School District cancelled all classes and events on Thursday morning due to power outages and road closures, according to an email sent by Paul Behan, the district's chief technology officer. District staff were asked to report to the offices by noon, but all other staff were told to not report for work, except for key maintenance employees.
Also on Thursday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration extended a flood warning watch for the Carmel River at Robles Del Rio from noon until late tonight.
At 4am the river was at 6.5 feet—flood stage is 8.5 feet. NOAA forecasts the the river will rise above flood stage by noon and continue to rise to 8.9 feet by the afternoon.
NOAA reports that at 8.5 feet low lying homes from Camp Steffani to below Robles del Rio will begin to flood. Old Odello Ranch near Carmel is expected to flood and homes along Paso Hondo and Dampierre Park are subject to flooding.
More than 300 power outages were reported on Wednesday, impacting around 17,000 customers in the region, according to an email from Carmel City Administrator Chip Rerig to residents Wednesday afternoon. Approximately 2,400 Carmel customers were impacted, with no estimate of when power would return.
UPDATE: As of 4:30pm, Wednesday, there were 10,058 customers without power in Monterey County, according to a PG&E spokesperson. Carmel had the most outages at just over 3,300. Monterey had 2,400 and Pebble Beach 2,080. Pacific Grove had around 1,200. Carmel Valley and Salinas each had over 400.
On Thursday morning PG&E reported 13,550 customers without power. Carmel's and Pebble Beach's numbers increased to more than 3,800 and 2,300 respectively. Power was restored to more than 1,500 residents in Monterey and to around 800 in Pacific Grove. Salinas' numbers increased to approximately 580 customers without power.
Carmel officials cancelled Wednesday afternoon's Planning Commission meeting, a lecture at the Harrison Memorial Library in the evening and Thursday's Farmers Market.
Monterey Peninsula College cancelled all classes for the remainder of the day at 2:30pm on Wednesday at its campus in Monterey "due to power outages, high winds, downed trees, and concerns for the safety of MPC employees, students, and campus visitors," according to a media alert. The Marina and Seaside campuses remained open.
In Big Sur, California State Parks closed the day use and campground at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, according to a press release. The closure was set to stay in effect until "hazardous weather conditions have passed and the park has been evaluated for safety," according to a press release. The Big Sur Lodge remained open.
Andrew Molera State Park remained open, but beach access was closed because the Big Sur River was deemed unsafe to cross due to high water levels and fast moving water.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve was also closed after trees fell throughout the park. Two reserve residences were damaged by fallen trees. Highway 1 near the park was closed temporarily after trees were removed from the roadway. One tree took out a directional sign near the reserve.
Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District closed three parks: Palo Corona and Garland Ranch in Carmel Valley, and the Frog Pond in Del Rey Oaks.
Pebble Beach took a beating Wednesday morning. A large tree came crashing down on one home, and another tree flattened the Country Club Gatehouse, at the intersection of Forest Lodge Road and Congress Avenue in Pacific Grove. At one point during the day only two of the area's five gates were open.
An updated list of road closures is available on the Monterey County website.
More stormy weather is expected in the coming days. According to PG&E more gusty south winds, heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms are expected into Thursday, followed by a colder storm on Friday and Saturday.
Editor's Note: This post was updated to reflect new information from PG&E and CUSD. The post will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.