Strong Wind — Santa Cruz Mountains, California

2023-03-21 · Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Event narrative

A tree fell on power lines near Glen Arbor Road in Ben Lomond, causing the communities of Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek to be cut off; the road was open by the next day but PGE crews were continuing to work on clearing debris.

Across the rest of Boulder Creek, dozens of trees fell on homes. The Boulder Creek Fire Department reported that one person was injured after a tree fell on their home, and by Wednesday afternoon, they were still unable to access some homes due to storm damage.

Wider weather episode

A rapidly intensifying cyclone brought high winds to the region. A High Wind Warning was issued for the San Mateo Peninsula Coast, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Central Coast. In addition, a couple of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued in light of the expected extreme winds for the Monterey and Santa Cruz areas. Over 110,000 customers lost power throughout the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County as a result of the cyclone.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1087087. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.