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Fierce Winds Blow Down Trees, Power Lines in Berkeley and Elsewhere
Windy weather throughout the Bay Area overnight has knocked out power for tens of thousands of PG&E customers today and blown trees and debris into roadways.
The strong winds brought massive power outages with 55,000 PG&E customers initially losing power Thursday night, according to utility officials.
PG&E spokesman Jason King said as of 11 a.m., there were 13,000 customers throughout the Bay Area still without power.
The most heavily impacted areas are in the North Bay, as well as the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Albany, King said.
Some 7,300 East Bay customers were still affected, while 3,400 customers in Sonoma County remained without power.
King said a majority of the outages are related to tree contact that damaged utility poles and wires.
PG&E hopes to have power restored for all customers by the late afternoon, he said.
A wind advisory was issued for most of the region Thursday afternoon and expired this morning, except in the North Bay, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
The warning will remain in effect until 10 p.m. in high elevation areas in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Logan Johnson.
Gusts reached up to 65 mph in eastern Alameda County, 60 mph in Sonoma County and up to 50 mph were recorded in higher elevation areas in Contra Costa County overnight, Johnson said. He said lighter winds are expected today.
He said a lot of downed trees have been reported in the North Bay and throughout Contra Costa County.
"We're still seeing it pretty windy up in the hills," Johnson said.
The wind came after a storm system moved through the Bay Area earlier this week, he said.
Rain is expected to return on Thanksgiving.
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