SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Parched California got a heavy dosing of rain from a “Pineapple Express” storm, which flooded streets, knocked out power to tens of thousands and shuttered schools Thursday.
Vineyards were swamped and many in San Francisco opted to work from home, rather than braving a treacherous commute. On one San Francisco street, water shot about 20 feet high from a manhole, according to resident Robert Gower who snapped a photo of the gusher.
In rural Healdsburg, people took the flooding in stride, paddling down the town’s streets in kayaks and canoes.
The high winds also whipped through the Lake Tahoe area, grounding some flights, damaging homes and churning up huge waves on the famously blue body of water.
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