A significant strong storm is heading towards California and is already beginning to affect our weather with increasing southeasterly winds. Based on the most recent information available this afternoon, the greatest impacts of this storm will be felt after midnight tonight and will continue all the way through tomorrow night. This storm system will produce high winds and significant beneficial rains for our area. However, the strongest impacts are expected to occur over the Central and Southern California coastal regions. We will be located on the northern side of this storm and thus will not likely receive the highest winds or the heaviest rains. We can expect winds here to increase to 25- 35 mph later this afternoon and overnight with occasional gusts up to 40mph.
Today the Grounds Department has been performing a visual inspection of trees in high traffic areas throughout the Santa Rosa Campus. This will hopefully give us some warning of a tree that is beginning to experience a root failure. However, sudden failures are not always predictable through visible inspection and can occur rapidly in the right conditions. The vast majority of our trees are healthy enough to withstand this storm and very wet soil conditions and have done so numerous times in the past decade.
The safety of our students, faculty, and staff are always our greatest concern and we will strive to keep our campus as safe as possible during this inclement weather.
What can you do?
1. Be even more alert to your surroundings, from wind gusts, wet and slippery areas, down power lines, falling tree brances, etc.
2. Report anything unusual to Facilities Operations at (707) 527-4231 for Santa Rosa and PSTC, (707) 778-3976 for Petaluma, (707) 887-1187 for Shone Farm;
3. District Police (707) 527-1000 for emergencies or after hours;
4. Observe any barricades or taped off zones.
