A construction crew continues was at work on a lengthy underground sewer project along Freedom Boulevard Friday in Watsonville.
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Rain fell most of the night and into Monday morning around the Central Coast. Early showers welcomed the day as another weather system meandered through the region. Heavy rains drenched the region Sunday with several reports of downed trees and power lines, a few road closures and mud and rock slides. Heavy snow fell over the weekend in some parts of the Sierra. Some folks in south Santa Cruz County reported electricity out for much of the day Sunday. A crew from Public Works was called in to set up barricades on Buena Vista Drive Monday morning due to flooding around the landfill that spilled across the road.
Anna Schneider, meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Monterey, said rainfall over the last 48 hours added up to 3.11 inches in Watsonville and 2.59 inches in Santa Cruz, with Gilroy reaching 2.98 inches. Schneider said that the Santa Cruz Mountains took in between 2-4 inches of rain. Following a few scattered showers later today, Schneider said “that will be it for a while” in reference to the rain and cold weather. She said we can expect high pressure to start building, which translates to gradual warming into the week.
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President Trump offered mixed messages regarding coronavirus over the past few days. One evening he said, “There will be a lot of death, unfortunately.” He followed the next day with, “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.”
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Nine states are still refusing to issue stay-at-home orders.
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The number of deaths in New York has started to decline and, for the first time in the COVID-19 ordeal, Spain is reporting a “positive trend.” Italy has also announced that their death rate is dropping.
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A Seaside man died Sunday morning after his truck sailed over a 400-foot cliff in the rugged coastline of Big Sur. Jessica Madueño, Public Information Officer with the California Highway Patrol, said the 32-year-old man was driving a 2001 Toyota Tundra northbound on Highway 1 south of Willow Creek Bridge at 9:30a.m. At one point the driver, for unknown reasons, lost control, rolled over, and barreled down a 400-foot cliff, coming to rest on a remote beach. The Monterey County Search and Rescue Team recovered the occupant from the vehicle who was pronounced dead at the scene.
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California’s public health officials released guidance on April 1 on the use of cloth face coverings to protect against COVID-19 for Californians who must leave their homes to conduct essential activities. The guidance does not require people to wear face coverings–and it is not a substitute for the state’s current guidance regarding social distancing and hand washing. A link to the new guidance can be found on the California Department of Public Health Face Coverings Guidance’s website.
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Public Works was called out Sunday to Paulsen Road, the heavily traveled conduit between Green Valley and Casserly roads, to set up ROAD CLOSED signs in the typical spots that flood over in heavy rains. No word on how long that section of road will be shut down.
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In Illinois a company has created a device that can produce COVID-19 test results in 15 minutes.
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One big fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak is that there are now more than 55 million students out of their classrooms.
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Some grocery stores are turning away reusable bags in fear of the bags spreading the virus.
