Thousands Without Power On Christmas Eve As Storm Moves Through Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Thousands have been left without power across the Bay Area as an atmospheric river moves through the region.

PG&E's outage center shows customers across the Bay Area's nine counties being impacted. However, the North and South Bays appear to be experiencing the most severe outages.

"Crews are currently responding to emergencies due to storm damage," PG&E said on its outage center. "Once the extreme weather has passed, crews will begin repairs."

There is currently no estimated time of return for when power will be restored in these areas.

PG&E says restoration times are difficult to predict during large storms when damage is widespread.

During these times, restoration is prioritized for critical customers, such as hospitals, telecommunication facilties and water districts, according to PG&E. It's unclear whether any of these "critical customers" around the Bay Area are experiencing outages at this time.

The atmospheric river, known as a "Pineapple Express," has so far brought deadly flooding to Northern California this week, but the worst of the storm is expected to come in the following days.

Flood advisories have been issued across the Bay Area through Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is also warning people to avoid being along the coast due to dangerously strong winds and waves of up to 20 feet.