High winds also swept the area. Gusts of up to 69 mph raced through canyons in northern Los Angeles County overnight. Wind contributed to some of the power outages that left 20,000 customers in the dark in Los Angeles. City firefighters found themselves four times busier than usual. The majority of the power outages were in downtown Los Angeles.
Officials say a transformer fire caused the outages, and weather was likely to blame for the fire.
The storm's clouds forced San Francisco International Airport to implement its delay program as a safety measure. The delay program was in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time, causing estimated delays of 106 minutes. Off the coast, waves pounded a dock at Alcatraz Island, making it impossible for 200 visitors to leave following a tour Wednesday. They were stranded on the former prison site for more than three hours. Theirs was only one of the problems caused by a strong low pressure system that is pushing toward land.