Sun Returns To San Ramon As Ninth Atmospheric River Passes

SAN RAMON, CA — After a whopping three weeks of almost nonstop rain that dumped a total of 23.8 inches on Dublin/San Ramon, the storms have finally cleared for the foreseeable future. Tuesday was 56 and sunny in San Ramon. Wednesday is expected to be cloudy and gusty, with a 25 percent chance of precipitation in the afternoon, but none is expected to accumulate. Mild rain may also fall Thursday afternoon.

The ninth atmospheric river to hit San Ramon was not as powerful or destructive as earlier storms. The city did not report any major damage or closures online, though Patch is awaiting to hear further updates from officials.

However, roadside erosion from the storms caused the eastbound lane of Diablo Road in Danville between Avenue Nueva and Alameda Diablo to close Sunday morning. The lane was reopened Monday after crews spent the day repairing the erosion.

Around the Tri-Valley, flooding caused a number of road closures in Pleasanton and Livermore. In Pleasanton, Sycamore Road was closed from Pleasanton/Sunol Road to Sycamore Creek Way for much of Monday. Niles Canyon Road was also shut down again Saturday after reopening Thursday due to mudslides and flooding. On Tuesday morning, an ACE train was stalled due to a 100-foot mudslide along Niles Canyon, resulting in evacuation for the train’s 220 passengers.

In Livermore, two local roads were closed due to flooding, and several county roads leading in and out of the city remain closed as of Tuesday afternoon:

• Marina Avenue from Wente Street to Arroyo Road
• Patterson Pass Road from Greenville Road to I-580
• Corral Hollow from County Line to I-580

Flooding in some portions of Livermore was also so intense that some residents reportedly used paddle boards to float around. Some residents living near Bluebell Drive and Galloway Street reported about six inches in their homes, KTVU reported.

CLOSED PARKS

In San Ramon, Forest Home Farms Historic Park closed over the weekend. Several East Bay regional parks remain closed due to storm damage:

• Anthony Chabot
• Del Valle
• Sunol Wilderness
• Ohlone Wilderness

Other parks are now open, but with certain roads closed:

• The Bollinger Canyon Road access to Las Trampas
• The main entrance of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
• The Lafayette staging area of Briones Regional Park
• The entrance Road of Coyote Hills is closed to cars
• Meyers Garden at Dry Creek
• The west shore trail and Redwood Canyon Golf Course at Lake Chabot
• The main entrance at Morgan Territory
• The main gate of Reinhardt Redwood
• The Alameda Creek Trail
• The Niles Staging Area
• The Beard staging area

WHAT DID YOU SEE?

Patch wants to hear from residents how they weathered this unprecedented deluge. If you would like to share your experience in words and photos, please email michael.wittner@patch.com. The information will be used to add to this story.

24 TRILLION GALLONS SPILLED, AT LEAST 19 DEAD, WETTEST 3 WEEKS IN 161 YEARS

The final storm over the weekend was the ninth atmospheric river to hit California since Dec. 26. Since then, an estimated 24.5 trillion gallons of water have fallen on the state, according to calculations based on methods from the Farmer’s Almanac and information from the National Weather Prediction Center.

The storms also killed at least 19 people, more than the number of confirmed fatalities of California wildfires in 2021 and 2022, according to the East Bay Times.

Over the weekend, rains put eight million people in coastal California on a Flood Watch that remained in effect until Monday night. Flood warnings were issued in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, as well as parts of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Merced counties.

Though the storm was not as powerful as earlier ones, flooding and landslide risks remained acute since the ground is so saturated with water.

26,000 customers in California lost power Saturday night, according to poweroutage.us. This is a far cry from a week ago, when up to 100,00 customers in the Bay Area alone lost power.

BIDEN TO VISIT CENTRAL COAST

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he will travel to the central coast Thursday to visit areas most affected by the storms. The White House said Monday that the president will meet with first responders and local officials, assess recovery efforts, and determine how much federal support is needed.

Last Wednesday Biden declared a major disaster in California, which made federal funding available to Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties. The funding will go toward temporary housing, emergency work, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and more.

EAST BAY RESERVOIRS REPLENISHED

Despite all the damage and disruption, the rain did bring some good news: drought relief. On Dec. 1, 85 percent of California was classified as being in a stage of “severe drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Last Thursday, that number dropped to 46 percent.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District reported Thursday that the seven reservoirs it operates were 86 percent full, up 68 percent from September. The Pardee Reservoir, the region’s biggest source of water, is 96 percent full.

“We’re in a much, much better position right now,” district spokesperson Nelsy Rodriguez told Berkeleyside in an interview. “We have been waiting for a wet season like this for years.”

Still, Rodriguez said that if the rain were to stop now, the district would still face water shortages. As a result, EBMUD will not consider changing conservation requirements until at least spring, when it knows how much more rain fell during the wet season.

LOCAL RESOURCES

To report clogged storm drains, downed trees, or flooding call 925-973-2800 (M-F, 8:30-5) or the San Ramon Valley 911 Communication Center at 925-973-2779 after hours. Sandbags are available at three locations. Residents and businesses are asked to bring a shovel:

• Athan Downs, Montevideo Drive near San Ramon Valley Blvd.
• Central Park, Alcosta Blvd. adjacent to the San Ramon Community Center
• San Ramon Sports Park, Sherwood Way

A full list of storm preparation tips are available here and at Be Ready SRV, an emergency preparedness collaboration between the Town of Danville, the City of San Ramon, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, Contra Costa County, and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. San Ramon residents can also contact the following numbers:

NON-EMERGENCY

• San Ramon Police: 925-973-2779
• Danville Police: 925-820-2144
• San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District: 925-838-6691

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Contra Costa Animal Services: 925-335-8300
• PG&E: 1-800-743-5000 San Ramon Regional Medical Center: 925-275-9200
• EBMUD: 866-403-2683