By Bay City News Service
A wind advisory has been issued Thursday evening for several parts of the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory includes coastal San Mateo County and the hills and valleys of Alameda and Contra Costa counties as well as the coastal areas in the North Bay, forecaster Roger Gass.
Gass said the advisory is expected to be in effect until at least Friday morning.
Winds of between 20 and 35 mph are expected in some areas, with gusts of up to 45 mph possible in the valleys and on the coast.
In elevations higher than 900 feet, Gass said, gusts could be between 45 and 69 mph.
High winds are bringing down trees and power lines throughout the Bay Area tonight, blocking roads and causing accidents and several major blackouts.
Large swaths of the North Bay are without power tonight, including
7,000 in the Monte Rio area, 6,200 in the Santa Rosa area, 5,600 around the
city of Sonoma, 1,700 near Bodega Bay and nearly 1,600 around Glen Ellen,
according to PG&E's website.
Alameda and Contra Costa counties are experiencing major outages
as well, including more than 18,000 in Oakland, more than 1,200 in downtown
Danville, more than 4,770 in San Leandro, nearly 1,600 in Castro Valley and
1,400 in Hayward, according to PG&E.
The California Highway Patrol has issued wind advisories for the San Mateo, Benicia and Carquinez bridges and is advising motorists to use caution.
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