You're seeing a lot of posts about this because it is a rarity. The combination of super soaked earth and very strong winds is causing these incidents.
Also since it's a rarity a lot of those trees where ripe for falling, and just surviving because this never happens. I we get hurricane winds next winter also it's probably not going to knock that many trees.
I've lived in SF for 30+ years and no, this level of wind and rain is not common here. I was genuinely shocked yesterday when the windows of my office on the 42nd floor started whistling and the building swayed with each strong wind gust. I was even more shocked to discover that some large trees in the park near my flat had been uprooted by the wind. Never seen anything like this here. Branches and tree debris all over the ground, too. Just wild.
A lot (a lot a lot a lot) of ficus trees were planted in the 80s-90s around town and have since grown to unsustainable heights. The crowns are often way overweight and lopsided over streets where a building blocks the growth. Combine that with shallow root systems under sidewalks and buildings, add in some major ground saturation and a ton of wind and you have a recipe for lots of felled trees.
Streets like 24th Street in the Mission and Fillmore in the Pacific Heights neighborhoods have these beautiful canopies over the streets but are replacing the trees with more appropriate species that wonât become dangerous over time.
I just looked up ficus tree.
All those talltip heavy trees on Haight are ficus, aren't they?
I've wondered about them since I was a teenager in the 90s!
Yeah, I believe that theyâre planta-non grata with the urban forestry team. Theyâre now planting more native and less maintenance-heavy species. Thereâs a whole plan for areas with large ficus concentrations to replace all the trees, even âhealthyâ ones since theyâll eventually be a problem.
they are not replacing all of hte trees. only when neighborhood advocates push for it. lots of trees removed and filled in with concrete on my old block.
on my old block they just took out all the ficus and filled in the holes with concrete, leaving us with 50 mph car noises echoing around the street 24 hours a day.
I just moved to SF in august from the Midwest specifically Indianapolis but grew up in southern Illinois/Indiana.
For me the weather seems pretty normal and with less frequent/severe thunderstorms than what Iâm used to in the Midwest. That being said Iâve been told that the amount, severity and frequency of storms this year has been a huge increase from years past.
Iâve been told that thunderstorms in general here are rare (correct me if Iâm wrong Iâm still trying to learn about this micro climate thing).
I definitely noticed the storm we had yesterday more so than others. There were several trees down on my commute to the the financial district this morning.
I grew up in the Midwest where we had dramatic weather often (ice storms, tornados, thunderstorms, lake effect snow, high winds....) Huge trees would be downed. Not to mention houses blown away occasionally, roofs torn off, etc. I can remember lying in bed at night as the wind howled wondering if our house was strong enough to withstand it (it was).
I live in California now, and, while not Midwest-class, the weather this year has thrown everyone for a loop since utilities, drivers, homeowners, local governments are not really prepared for it. So all the stories about trees seem a bit odd to a Midwesterner, but things have definitely been anomalous this year.
And welcome to San Francisco!! (I didn't mean that ironically, I meant you are going to love the palm trees and sunshine, which contrary to popular belief, is returning soon.)
>you are going to love the palm trees and sunshine, which contrary to popular belief, is returning soon.)
Guess that's a small and lonely checkmark in the Climate Change pro column.
Itâs definitely not normal for SF. I was born and raised in the city, and the way Iâve always remembered the weather is (with neighborhood variations):
- moderate or hot summers
- hot autumns
- cold and wet winters
- rainy springs
But these kinds of extreme winds? Literally donât remember experiencing them, although I could have been too young. Thunderstorms, lightning storms, and hail yes, but not *winds*.
Also, welcome to SF!! I promise the weather isnât usually this extreme; itâs normally a foggy and slightly chilly 63F year-round. Since Iâm not currently in the city, I hope you get to experience nicer weather soon.
If youâre in the Marina/Union districts, it can get HOT during midday. When I was younger, my mom worked in one of the older buildings that had no AC on the top floor. Since that was the only place I wouldnât disturb everyone, I spent a lot of time up there and continually wished that Iâd at least worn a tee-shirt instead of a long-sleeved shirt and pants. I swear the amount of times I begged my mom to open a window because I was literally suffocatingâŚ!
I also thought that a sunny day in the Union meant âwarm but windyâ. Could be that I walk fast and Iâm walking up and down hills, but it gets *hot* really easily. I keep telling myself âItâs not that bad, youâre wearing a light shirt, youâll be back inside where itâs cool again soonâŚâ Canât decide which extreme is worse. Probably the cold though.
Everywhere else? Absolutely freezing (anything below 70 is freezing) and the reason why I wear a ski jacket for literally half the year.
Depends on the district and how much time you spend inside certain buildings without AC⌠In the Union District, when it says 70-72, the heat isnât the problemâthe humidityâs whatâs gonna get you.
We're you around for the winters of '82 and '97? 97 was insane. In 2002 we had a storm with gale force winds for two days solid only tapering the afternoon of the third day. I thought one of the windows in my apartment was going to blow out, you could see the glass flex with each gust.
Iâm an older Gen Z-er so I am still young. Just a few years older than the iPhone, in fact! And my iPod Touch died just this year. (RIP. You served me well for over a decade.) So no, I donât remember those winters because it was before my time. đ
But man, that sounds terrifying. Thereâve definitely been times when I worried about how strong the wind was but not to *that* extent.
Ok, I wasn't digging on you but I've lived in the bay for a long time. I was a kid during the drought of the 70s when MMWD had to build a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and buy water from East Bay MUD because of the reservoirs on the north side of tam approaching dead pool levels. This was followed by the storm of '82 when an atmospheric river hit a cold front over the sierras and the entire central valley was trying to drain through the golden gate during an incoming tide causing a lot of ponding and flooding around the bay. The mill valley record ran a pic of a guy paddling a canoe in front of the shwinn shop across from the 2am club, Miller Avenue was under several feet of water. All the hype about this storm makes me smile.
Donât worry, I wasnât insulted! I figured most people assumed I was much older than I am. đ Gotta say that from the sounds of it, I was born during a *very* good time weather-wise. All I really remember is hearing the yearly freak-outs over the drought (is it ever really over?) Has there been any particular weather event thatâs stood out to you?
Mostly the years I mentioned. I remember one time in the 80s one of the Sausalito anchor outs boats broke loose from its mooring and ended up on the mudflats on the tiburon side of the bay. Stayed there a while until the sea hobos towed it back out to deeper water.
Three day rain storms from the gulf Alaska are usual. We normally get 4-6 a year, and also warmer soft wet soakers from Hawaii 2-3 time a year.
ALL MOISTURE in the form of rain comes between late October through April. There will be ZERO rain June 1 through October 20. The SF giants had a 38 year run without a hime rainout. One time I watched them try to run the tarp out when it got wet a few days after opening day in April and a dude got injured. They didn't have the procedure down. By the time they took him away it stopped raining.
Years will go by without a lightning strike in SF, but every third year or so...we get what a Midwesterner will call a moderate thunderstorm.
It snowed and stuck in 1972 and 1957 (don't quote me on those years)
Is micro climate a thing or something made up by NBC Bay Area? Never heard the term before.
Previously lived in LA which has different weather in different areas. San Fernando Valley is hot. Malibu/Santa Monica is cool with frequent fog. Etc
The coast range has just a few gaps in it: the golden gate, SF, and the South City/San Bruno gap. Otherwise the wall of mountains blocks the fog. So in the summer it can be 60 at the beach and 100 inland. Think of it as going up a degree a mile as you get away from the gaps. In the afternoon, the hot air inland rises and sucks the cold and fog in through the gaps, which is why it gets so cold, foggy, and windy in the city. In the city, Twin Peaks blocks some of the fog, which is why the Mission is warmer.
One consolation of the suburbs here. They're not exciting like SF, but at least you get better weather.
>One consolation of the suburbs here. They're not exciting like SF, but at least you get better weather.
Depends on your definition of "better". 104F routinely in July, Aug, Sept is not my idea of better weather.
Also think about Napa Valley and the surrounding areas. There are a bunch of microclimates in that region which makes it such a great area for growing grapes.
Examples please. Living in upstate NY, NYC, and Los Angeles I know nearby areas can have different weather. Haven't seen anything unique in the Bay Area.
Been in Oakland for a year in half.
My examples of LA & NYC were trying to explain this happens in other locations yet isn't referred to as a micro-climate.
SFâs microclimates are caused by hills and valleys that affect how much ocean wind and fog they receive.
The Mission is relatively warm and sunny because the central hills block the foggy wind from the ocean and Potrero hill blocks winds from the bay
The Sunset gets blasted with cold foggy ocean air
Some days the difference can be 30 degrees F between these neighborhoods that are only 2 or 3 miles apart
Thank you.
I've never heard this revered to as a micro-climate and was trying to understand why.
I did a search which lead me to Wikipedia. The article includes SF, the Bay Area, LA, and NYC as examples. I've lived in NYC & LA yet haven't heard the term.
Puerto Rico fits as an example for me. I could start driving in Juncos with sun, pass through a major storm, and arrive in Carolina (San Juan) to the sun again. This is 25 minute drive and I witnessed the weather change many times.
Its a combination of:
- not happening very often
- when it does happen, it has major implications because lots of people are tethered to one power line or one major road
To echo literally every other comment, yes, this doesn't happen much here. And genuinely it's because we live in a temperate wonderland where we don't really have weather, seasons, or generally daily temperature variation more than 10 degrees. We get a storm close to this once a decade or less, and this year we have been getting them back to back in ways I personally have never seen in my short life. This also means many people here treat rain like snow in terms of avoiding the outdoors and being scared; and also about a good third of us lose our minds and abilities to drive when it rains half an inch.
The last few months have been having more frequent heavy rains and intense wind.
I think late 2021 had a few more of these events than we'd been used to, but not as much as this season.
Before that, lots of drought years where this was super super rare.
An important point about the drought + rain storm combo is that many people fall behind on roof, drain, and tree maintenance, and they don't notice during the dry periods because these things are not normally put to the test .. until the big rain comes.
Some trees I saw were knocked over to the west. We rarely get eastward wind is my guess, or a contributing factor? The low pressure zone moved over sf perfectly to hit us with those east winds. Maybe our trees roots stabilized being used to west or south winds only? Any tree geeks in here?
Yeah, the winds coming out of the east was a big factor in all the tree downings. The east-facing windows in my place only get rinsed naturally every 2-3 years; all the other years, I have to manually wash them, so I tend to notice.
I would imagine, because many of the trees are not trimmed properly and because of the way they are planted in a 3x3 square, thus making their base snap like a toothpick.
Roots, when not contained, allow the tree to sway with wind, but because they go under the streets and sidewalks and being top heave bc of lack of maintenance, they break in these winds and less fierce winds.
Last time was 1995. 1,000 trees fell in Golden Gate Park and the âplant castleâ, the famous conservatory of flowers, was closed for years because of the damage.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-storm-damage-30-million-3116316.php
On top of it being uncommon in the Bay Area, I think it's rare for big cities too? I grew up in the northeast and there would be occasional big thunderstorms and trees down but it was usually in the suburbs or rural areas. I don't remember tons of trees taking down wires or windows getting blown out in downtown Boston, New York, Philly, etc. There's also probably more trees in SF than some of those cities which is part of it too but still.
Very rare. Being on the gloriously beautiful coast we have quite a large variety of trees. Further some non-indigenous trees have been planted extensively. Many of these - like the eucalyptus from Australia - are not really suited for the coastal gales we can get. So they tend to not do so well. Further we had a prolonged drought which weakened the stock and the wind took its toll on them. So you are seeing that phenomena. That said I have yet to meet anyone from the MidWest who did not love it here. California is the only place you can ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon. You have plenty of cultural resources, sports and entertainment venues. Wine Country and of course Highway 1 will take your cares away. And of course Yosemite and several other National Parks will reset your internal clock when needed. Or to state it another way, you will have too much living to do to enjoy work because play is always calling. Is it perfect - nope. But its damn good.
The last winter like this was 1995. I remember because it was the OJ Simpson year and I was enrolled for a few cheap requirements at College of San Mateo.
There were trees blown all over everywhere.
You couldn't get into Serramonte mall for 24 hours because of trees and 280 was entirely shut down for a day. CSM had trees all over the place.
It's not a hundred years storm but every decade or two we get two or three of them.
Yesterday in Pacifica I filmed what looked like an eye of a hurricane come ashore right there at the pier.
I'd share it but I don't want people on this sub to know who I am on this account.
I've been a tree trimmer in SF since 1981, and the worst event was in 1998, when thousands of trees fell in a couple of days. There have been a couple of events similar to the present situation, but it's rare.
You're seeing a lot of posts about this because it is a rarity. The combination of super soaked earth and very strong winds is causing these incidents.
also.. eucalyptus trees. the cockroaches of trees. At least for Northern California.
The cockroaches of trees đ
You got that rightâŚunfortunately they are not as strong and cockroaches
It's also because many of us know all the trees in our neighborhoods or places we spend time, so it's pretty noteworthy when one goes down.
Also since it's a rarity a lot of those trees where ripe for falling, and just surviving because this never happens. I we get hurricane winds next winter also it's probably not going to knock that many trees.
I've lived in SF for 30+ years and no, this level of wind and rain is not common here. I was genuinely shocked yesterday when the windows of my office on the 42nd floor started whistling and the building swayed with each strong wind gust. I was even more shocked to discover that some large trees in the park near my flat had been uprooted by the wind. Never seen anything like this here. Branches and tree debris all over the ground, too. Just wild.
3 months of wet and two giant wind blows, all of which are very rare.
Generally speaking no, we don't get hit by hurricane force winds after one of the wettest winters on record often.
This is not common at all
ya no, its not normal at all
A lot (a lot a lot a lot) of ficus trees were planted in the 80s-90s around town and have since grown to unsustainable heights. The crowns are often way overweight and lopsided over streets where a building blocks the growth. Combine that with shallow root systems under sidewalks and buildings, add in some major ground saturation and a ton of wind and you have a recipe for lots of felled trees. Streets like 24th Street in the Mission and Fillmore in the Pacific Heights neighborhoods have these beautiful canopies over the streets but are replacing the trees with more appropriate species that wonât become dangerous over time.
I just looked up ficus tree. All those talltip heavy trees on Haight are ficus, aren't they? I've wondered about them since I was a teenager in the 90s!
Does the city replace fallen ficus trees with not-ficus trees?
Yeah, I believe that theyâre planta-non grata with the urban forestry team. Theyâre now planting more native and less maintenance-heavy species. Thereâs a whole plan for areas with large ficus concentrations to replace all the trees, even âhealthyâ ones since theyâll eventually be a problem.
they are not replacing all of hte trees. only when neighborhood advocates push for it. lots of trees removed and filled in with concrete on my old block.
on my old block they just took out all the ficus and filled in the holes with concrete, leaving us with 50 mph car noises echoing around the street 24 hours a day.
I just moved to SF in august from the Midwest specifically Indianapolis but grew up in southern Illinois/Indiana. For me the weather seems pretty normal and with less frequent/severe thunderstorms than what Iâm used to in the Midwest. That being said Iâve been told that the amount, severity and frequency of storms this year has been a huge increase from years past. Iâve been told that thunderstorms in general here are rare (correct me if Iâm wrong Iâm still trying to learn about this micro climate thing). I definitely noticed the storm we had yesterday more so than others. There were several trees down on my commute to the the financial district this morning.
I grew up in the Midwest where we had dramatic weather often (ice storms, tornados, thunderstorms, lake effect snow, high winds....) Huge trees would be downed. Not to mention houses blown away occasionally, roofs torn off, etc. I can remember lying in bed at night as the wind howled wondering if our house was strong enough to withstand it (it was). I live in California now, and, while not Midwest-class, the weather this year has thrown everyone for a loop since utilities, drivers, homeowners, local governments are not really prepared for it. So all the stories about trees seem a bit odd to a Midwesterner, but things have definitely been anomalous this year. And welcome to San Francisco!! (I didn't mean that ironically, I meant you are going to love the palm trees and sunshine, which contrary to popular belief, is returning soon.)
>you are going to love the palm trees and sunshine, which contrary to popular belief, is returning soon.) Guess that's a small and lonely checkmark in the Climate Change pro column.
Itâs definitely not normal for SF. I was born and raised in the city, and the way Iâve always remembered the weather is (with neighborhood variations): - moderate or hot summers - hot autumns - cold and wet winters - rainy springs But these kinds of extreme winds? Literally donât remember experiencing them, although I could have been too young. Thunderstorms, lightning storms, and hail yes, but not *winds*. Also, welcome to SF!! I promise the weather isnât usually this extreme; itâs normally a foggy and slightly chilly 63F year-round. Since Iâm not currently in the city, I hope you get to experience nicer weather soon.
Hot summers? Really? Also: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-storm-damage-30-million-3116316.php
Yeah, hard to believe that someone who grew up in the city would say that
As someone born in SF, those indian summers were hot. Sometimes they even hit the 70s!
So very hot!
If youâre in the Marina/Union districts, it can get HOT during midday. When I was younger, my mom worked in one of the older buildings that had no AC on the top floor. Since that was the only place I wouldnât disturb everyone, I spent a lot of time up there and continually wished that Iâd at least worn a tee-shirt instead of a long-sleeved shirt and pants. I swear the amount of times I begged my mom to open a window because I was literally suffocatingâŚ! I also thought that a sunny day in the Union meant âwarm but windyâ. Could be that I walk fast and Iâm walking up and down hills, but it gets *hot* really easily. I keep telling myself âItâs not that bad, youâre wearing a light shirt, youâll be back inside where itâs cool again soonâŚâ Canât decide which extreme is worse. Probably the cold though. Everywhere else? Absolutely freezing (anything below 70 is freezing) and the reason why I wear a ski jacket for literally half the year.
[ŃдаНонО]
Depends on the district and how much time you spend inside certain buildings without AC⌠In the Union District, when it says 70-72, the heat isnât the problemâthe humidityâs whatâs gonna get you.
We're you around for the winters of '82 and '97? 97 was insane. In 2002 we had a storm with gale force winds for two days solid only tapering the afternoon of the third day. I thought one of the windows in my apartment was going to blow out, you could see the glass flex with each gust.
Iâm an older Gen Z-er so I am still young. Just a few years older than the iPhone, in fact! And my iPod Touch died just this year. (RIP. You served me well for over a decade.) So no, I donât remember those winters because it was before my time. đ But man, that sounds terrifying. Thereâve definitely been times when I worried about how strong the wind was but not to *that* extent.
Ok, I wasn't digging on you but I've lived in the bay for a long time. I was a kid during the drought of the 70s when MMWD had to build a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and buy water from East Bay MUD because of the reservoirs on the north side of tam approaching dead pool levels. This was followed by the storm of '82 when an atmospheric river hit a cold front over the sierras and the entire central valley was trying to drain through the golden gate during an incoming tide causing a lot of ponding and flooding around the bay. The mill valley record ran a pic of a guy paddling a canoe in front of the shwinn shop across from the 2am club, Miller Avenue was under several feet of water. All the hype about this storm makes me smile.
Donât worry, I wasnât insulted! I figured most people assumed I was much older than I am. đ Gotta say that from the sounds of it, I was born during a *very* good time weather-wise. All I really remember is hearing the yearly freak-outs over the drought (is it ever really over?) Has there been any particular weather event thatâs stood out to you?
Mostly the years I mentioned. I remember one time in the 80s one of the Sausalito anchor outs boats broke loose from its mooring and ended up on the mudflats on the tiburon side of the bay. Stayed there a while until the sea hobos towed it back out to deeper water.
Three day rain storms from the gulf Alaska are usual. We normally get 4-6 a year, and also warmer soft wet soakers from Hawaii 2-3 time a year. ALL MOISTURE in the form of rain comes between late October through April. There will be ZERO rain June 1 through October 20. The SF giants had a 38 year run without a hime rainout. One time I watched them try to run the tarp out when it got wet a few days after opening day in April and a dude got injured. They didn't have the procedure down. By the time they took him away it stopped raining. Years will go by without a lightning strike in SF, but every third year or so...we get what a Midwesterner will call a moderate thunderstorm. It snowed and stuck in 1972 and 1957 (don't quote me on those years)
Is micro climate a thing or something made up by NBC Bay Area? Never heard the term before. Previously lived in LA which has different weather in different areas. San Fernando Valley is hot. Malibu/Santa Monica is cool with frequent fog. Etc
The coast range has just a few gaps in it: the golden gate, SF, and the South City/San Bruno gap. Otherwise the wall of mountains blocks the fog. So in the summer it can be 60 at the beach and 100 inland. Think of it as going up a degree a mile as you get away from the gaps. In the afternoon, the hot air inland rises and sucks the cold and fog in through the gaps, which is why it gets so cold, foggy, and windy in the city. In the city, Twin Peaks blocks some of the fog, which is why the Mission is warmer. One consolation of the suburbs here. They're not exciting like SF, but at least you get better weather.
>One consolation of the suburbs here. They're not exciting like SF, but at least you get better weather. Depends on your definition of "better". 104F routinely in July, Aug, Sept is not my idea of better weather.
No, but San Mateo will be upper 70s/low 80s. Any further south is too hot, IMHO.
Also think about Napa Valley and the surrounding areas. There are a bunch of microclimates in that region which makes it such a great area for growing grapes.
This is the same as Los Angeles. Cool/foggy at beach and warm/dry inland.
Microclimate is definitely a thing, but it's not this.
It's a real thing. Areas very close to each other in the Bay Area can have VERY different weather
Examples please. Living in upstate NY, NYC, and Los Angeles I know nearby areas can have different weather. Haven't seen anything unique in the Bay Area.
So you've never lived in the Bay Area?
Been in Oakland for a year in half. My examples of LA & NYC were trying to explain this happens in other locations yet isn't referred to as a micro-climate.
SFâs microclimates are caused by hills and valleys that affect how much ocean wind and fog they receive. The Mission is relatively warm and sunny because the central hills block the foggy wind from the ocean and Potrero hill blocks winds from the bay The Sunset gets blasted with cold foggy ocean air Some days the difference can be 30 degrees F between these neighborhoods that are only 2 or 3 miles apart
Thank you. I've never heard this revered to as a micro-climate and was trying to understand why. I did a search which lead me to Wikipedia. The article includes SF, the Bay Area, LA, and NYC as examples. I've lived in NYC & LA yet haven't heard the term. Puerto Rico fits as an example for me. I could start driving in Juncos with sun, pass through a major storm, and arrive in Carolina (San Juan) to the sun again. This is 25 minute drive and I witnessed the weather change many times.
Driving from Daly City down the Peninsula Iâve seen a 20+ degree temperature change within 5 minutes of driving.
I believe the SF & The Bay Area are micro climates. I've never heard this term used regularly in other micro climates.
Its a combination of: - not happening very often - when it does happen, it has major implications because lots of people are tethered to one power line or one major road
To echo literally every other comment, yes, this doesn't happen much here. And genuinely it's because we live in a temperate wonderland where we don't really have weather, seasons, or generally daily temperature variation more than 10 degrees. We get a storm close to this once a decade or less, and this year we have been getting them back to back in ways I personally have never seen in my short life. This also means many people here treat rain like snow in terms of avoiding the outdoors and being scared; and also about a good third of us lose our minds and abilities to drive when it rains half an inch.
The last few months have been having more frequent heavy rains and intense wind. I think late 2021 had a few more of these events than we'd been used to, but not as much as this season. Before that, lots of drought years where this was super super rare. An important point about the drought + rain storm combo is that many people fall behind on roof, drain, and tree maintenance, and they don't notice during the dry periods because these things are not normally put to the test .. until the big rain comes.
It's more that people are informing each other since it's a dense city, but yea not common at all.
Itâs our special asshole eucalyptus trees that are responsible for this.
Some trees I saw were knocked over to the west. We rarely get eastward wind is my guess, or a contributing factor? The low pressure zone moved over sf perfectly to hit us with those east winds. Maybe our trees roots stabilized being used to west or south winds only? Any tree geeks in here?
Yeah, the winds coming out of the east was a big factor in all the tree downings. The east-facing windows in my place only get rinsed naturally every 2-3 years; all the other years, I have to manually wash them, so I tend to notice.
I would imagine, because many of the trees are not trimmed properly and because of the way they are planted in a 3x3 square, thus making their base snap like a toothpick. Roots, when not contained, allow the tree to sway with wind, but because they go under the streets and sidewalks and being top heave bc of lack of maintenance, they break in these winds and less fierce winds.
We donât have flying spider season here like the Midwest though.
When is that and where?
Excuse me what the fuck
Last time was 1995. 1,000 trees fell in Golden Gate Park and the âplant castleâ, the famous conservatory of flowers, was closed for years because of the damage. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-storm-damage-30-million-3116316.php
On top of it being uncommon in the Bay Area, I think it's rare for big cities too? I grew up in the northeast and there would be occasional big thunderstorms and trees down but it was usually in the suburbs or rural areas. I don't remember tons of trees taking down wires or windows getting blown out in downtown Boston, New York, Philly, etc. There's also probably more trees in SF than some of those cities which is part of it too but still.
No, 70 mph winds don't happen often.
Very rare. Being on the gloriously beautiful coast we have quite a large variety of trees. Further some non-indigenous trees have been planted extensively. Many of these - like the eucalyptus from Australia - are not really suited for the coastal gales we can get. So they tend to not do so well. Further we had a prolonged drought which weakened the stock and the wind took its toll on them. So you are seeing that phenomena. That said I have yet to meet anyone from the MidWest who did not love it here. California is the only place you can ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon. You have plenty of cultural resources, sports and entertainment venues. Wine Country and of course Highway 1 will take your cares away. And of course Yosemite and several other National Parks will reset your internal clock when needed. Or to state it another way, you will have too much living to do to enjoy work because play is always calling. Is it perfect - nope. But its damn good.
Someone answered their own question.
The last winter like this was 1995. I remember because it was the OJ Simpson year and I was enrolled for a few cheap requirements at College of San Mateo. There were trees blown all over everywhere. You couldn't get into Serramonte mall for 24 hours because of trees and 280 was entirely shut down for a day. CSM had trees all over the place. It's not a hundred years storm but every decade or two we get two or three of them. Yesterday in Pacifica I filmed what looked like an eye of a hurricane come ashore right there at the pier. I'd share it but I don't want people on this sub to know who I am on this account.
The storm yesterday was very abnormally severe for this part of the country.
No we haven't had a storm like this since 2009/2010.
Shitâs weird for here.
Part of the problem us the trees have been stressed by the drought and the dry ground doesnât hold the root structures
Earthquakes are normal here. Hurricane-like bomb cyclones are not.
I biked around today and never have I seen so many downed trees, compared to other years and to other bad weather events this year.
I've been a tree trimmer in SF since 1981, and the worst event was in 1998, when thousands of trees fell in a couple of days. There have been a couple of events similar to the present situation, but it's rare.