After an all too brief break, the rain is back — and though so far we're not seeing catastrophic damage like mudslides and imminent spillway disaster, we are seeing drivers struggle with roads that are slippery when wet yet again.
Westbound Interstate Highway 580 was one of those slick spots Thursday, as KRON 4 reports that all lanes of the freeway were closed at around 5:38 a.m. after multiple drivers "spun out" on the wet streets. According to the California Highway Patrol, lanes would reopen as conditions improved Thursday.
WB 580 at Regatta in #Richmond - All lanes are closed as we clear multiple vehicle which spun out.
— CHP Oakland (@CHPoakland) February 16, 2017
UPDATE: Only one lane is now closed due to roadway flooding on I-580 WB at Regatta in #RichmondCA -
— CHP Oakland (@CHPoakland) February 16, 2017
Over on 880 in Oakland, we saw more delays after a big-rig jackknifed and overturned, sending the driver and his passenger over the side of a 40-foot-tall overpass.
The incident occurred shortly before 4:30 a.m. on northbound I-880 near 5th Avenue, KRON 4 reports, when "a big-rig driver lost control after going through standing water, struck another big-rig and Ford Mustang and overturned."
The driver and passenger were ejected and sent over the guard rail of the overpass to the ground below, CBS 5 reports. The driver suffered major injuries and the passenger had minor injuries, but no one from the other big-rig or Mustang were hurt in the crash.
Crews working to upright jackknifed big rig on 880 by 5th Ave. exit in Oakland. @kron4news pic.twitter.com/DjZs61mbrd
— Averi Harper (@AveriHarper) February 16, 2017
As of 8 a.m., 880's far right northbound lane remained closed, as crews worked to clear the scene.
As previously reported, this week's wave of wet weather is expected to last for some time, with "another system moving up from the south early (Friday morning). Light rains will begin at the early morning commute," National Weather Service forecaster Bob Benjamin today told the Chron.
The overnight rains were just a taste of things to come, as the Chron reports that "the subsequent storms will be a 'little more dangerous and will probably lead to substantial rain' and mudslides."
KRON 4 reports that after "a brief dry spell" from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. "the next front arrives Sunday night with rain lasting through Wednesday." So, basically, it's going to keep on raining until we all give up and float away.
Previously: Wave Of Storms Turns Bay Brown, Prompts Coast Guard Debris Warning