Posted in San Francisco January 10, 2017 by Julian Garr

A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck San Francisco In 2008… And No One Saw It Coming

In all honesty, San Francisco is fairly lucky when it comes to terrifying storms—we make up for it in earthquakes. However, there was one storm in recent memory that did quite a bit of damage in San Francisco. This 2008 storm did a lot more damage than anyone expected.

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The January North American storm complex powered by a Pineapple Express atmospheric river hit the West Coast, including San Francisco, on January 3-4 in 2008. The storms were responsible for the death of at least 12 people in 3 states, including California.

During this storm, the Bay Area experienced winds that toppled trees and caused millions of dollars in damage.

The strong low pressure system responsible for much of the storm crossed the Pacific Ocean before arriving on land on January 3.

The storm caused heavy downpours of rain and strong gusts across much of the San Francisco Bay Area. There were strong winds locally that exceeded hurricane force strength.

Parked cars were crushed by falling debris. Even up to 100 miles of Interstate 80 was shut down due to this storm.

The storm closed roads and snarled traffic. Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed because of debris. The picture below shows the Golden Gate Bridge on one of those stormy days.

Muni trains were stuck without power when the storm hit. Bart also had a major disruption with significant delays for their service between San Francisco and Daly City because of fallen trees on the network's tracks.

San Francisco streets were pummeled as well. In the end, at least $129 million worth of damage was attributed to this storm in January 2008.

What do you remember from this 2008 storm? Share your memories, thoughts, and more in the comments section below. And for more San Francisco history, check out these 11 Very Rare Photos Taken During WWII In San Francisco.