MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in San Jose, CA

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for the Bay Area for this Wednesday and Thursday. Last weekend’s atmospheric river brought 1.74 inches of rain to San José.

“A potent Pineapple Express will move into the region Wednesday and continue into Thursday,” the Weather Service reported. “This will bring substantial rainfall to the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region on top of already saturated soils.”

Forecasters predicted rapid rises in area creeks, streams and rivers.

The Flood Watch will remain in effect from late tonight through Thursday afternoon.

Flooding could occur in Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose, Santa Cruz Mountains, portions of central California and northern California, including the following areas: central California, mountains of San Benito County and Interior Monterey County including Pinnacles National Park, Northern Salinas Valley/Hollister Valley and Carmel Valley, Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest, Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast and Southern Salinas Valley/Arroyo Seco and Lake San Antonio. In northern California, Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore, East Bay Hills, East Bay interior valleys, Eastern Santa Clara hills,Marin coastal range, North Bay interior mountains, North Bay interior Valleys, Northern Monterey Bay, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Shoreline, San Francisco Peninsula Coast, and Sonoma coastal range.

“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” according to the Weather Service. “Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris.Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers are possible.”

To make matters worse, the National Weather Service also issued a High Wind Warning, in effect from 4pm Wednesday to 10am Thursday.

Forecasters predicted southerly winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph in valley locations. 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph above 1000 feet, with local gusts to around 70 mph on the coast and at highest peaks.

The damaging winds “will blow down trees and power lines. With widespread power outages expected.” The weather service warned that “saturated soils will allow for trees to topple more easily during this prolonged wind event. The strongest winds will be during the cold frontal passage late Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday morning.

Santa Clara County residents can get free filled sandbags from sandbag sites operated by the Santa Clara Valley Water District ahead of more heavy rainfall expected this week.

Heavy winter rainfall can cause flooding in minutes but homeowners can use sandbags to prevent or reduce damage from floodwater or debris. The sandbags are available at five Valley Water sites.

Valley Water sandbag guidelines say it's most effective to put a tarp between a structure and sandbags to keep flood water from seeping between the housing siding and foundation sills

The Foothills Nature Preserve will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to the anticipated weather.

Northbound state Highway 1 in Santa Cruz fully reopened across the San Lorenzo River early Tuesday morning.

The highway, which reopened around 5 a.m., had been closed over the San Lorenzo River since 2pm Sunday to allow Caltrans workers to clear debris that has accumulated under the bridge from Saturday's storm.

It's a stormy start to the morning in the western U.S. Water vapor imagery from @NOAA's #GOESWest is showing a Pacific storm spinning southwest of Alaska while a plume of atmospheric moisture streams into the West Coast. Flood Watches are in effect for much of California. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/UOw84dSD9x

San Jose has gone from parched earth to soggy ground after this past weekend's soaking, and more is on the way.

January 3, 2023

San Jose has gone from parched earth to soggy ground after this past weekend’s soaking, and more is on the way.

San Jose got nearly 1.5 inches of rainfall last weekend, with some flooding around the South Bay and more serious flooding in the San Francisco area. Some areas around San Jose’s creeks experienced flooding, primarily impacting the homeless residents nearby. Parts of Gilroy and Palo Alto were also impacted by the weekend storm. While rain was light on Monday, San Jose isn’t out of the water just yet, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologist Rick Canepa said San Jose is expected to see about 3/4 inches of rain on Wednesday and 1/4 inches on Thursday. That means for some San Jose neighborhoods, the threat of flooding is real.

“The storm door is wide open,” Canepa told San José Spotlight. “It’s firing on all cylinders. So we’re planning on issuing a flood watch (which means) we are expecting conditions to be conducive to flooding again.”

Matt Keller, spokesperson for Valley Water, said there are three flood hotspots in San Jose. The neighborhoods near the Penitencia Creek County Park on Mabury and King roads are on flood alert, as well as those living near Ross Creek on Cherry Drive and the Guadalupe River near Alma Avenue.

Areas that already experienced flooding over the weekend outside of San Jose like the Uvas Creek in Gilroy and near San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto are also at risk of flooding again. Keller said a section of Highway 101 near the South 10th Street exit in Gilroy could flood later this week, along with some areas in Sunnyvale like the East Channel trail.

“The reality is we can see flooding anywhere, especially if the storm delivers like this last weekend,” Keller told San José Spotlight. “There may be less rainfall, there may be more—we just want people to be prepared.”

While Keller said San Jose didn’t experience much flooding over the weekend, homeless advocate Todd Langton, executive director of Agape Silicon Valley, said in some areas it looks like “creeks turned into lakes.” The people most impacted are the homeless residents who set up camp near local bodies of water. He worries the rain expected later this week will destroy more communities.

“It’s disastrous, their tents and shelters are overwhelmed with the flooding of the creeks. It’s impacting hundreds of unhoused people,” Langton told San José Spotlight. “I think officials don’t realize that there’s flooding in San Jose because it is not impacting homes, just homeless people.”

San Jose’s December rainfall exceeded the average rainfall of the month by an inch. January is also expected to exceed averages, according to the National Weather Service. Still, experts don’t anticipate the rain will lead to serious flooding in the valley because of the wind patterns. Instead, San Francisco and Santa Cruz will bear most of the brunt of the incoming storm, Canepa said.

Canepa also said San Jose likely won’t experience the same amount of rainfall it did in February 2017, which caused the Anderson Dam in South San Jose to overflow. The flood caused approximately $100 million in damages and displaced 14,000 residents in neighborhoods around Coyote Creek, including Naglee Park, Rock Springs and the South Bay Mobile Home Park.

Since the 2017 flood, Valley Water has started a new earthquake retrofit project at the dam to help release more water from the area during storms or emergencies. The reservoir is currently at about 3% of its approximately 90,000 acre-feet capacity. The agency is also working to reduce flood risks from rising sea levels in North San Jose’s Alviso neighborhood.

Keller said he doesn’t anticipate those living near Coyote Creek will experience similar flooding because of the new infrastructure. However, the flood hotspots in San Jose do not have any flood mitigation projects in the works. Residents living in areas with flood threats should prepare by signing up for alerts and getting sandbags before Wednesday, he said.

“If all of a sudden the water’s coming up to your house and you’re going out to try to find sandbags then, you’re already too late,” Keller said. “You need to have that prepared now.”

To sign up for Santa Clara County’s emergency alert system, click here. To sign up for Valley Water’s alert system, click here.

Residents can find free sandbags here. Residents can also report blockages in waterways and spills by calling Valley Water’s watershed hotline at 408-630-2378.

San José Spotlight is the city's first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Please support our public service journalism by clicking here.

As the South Bay braces for a storm being fueled by an atmospheric river this weekend, San Jose residents are on alert for potential flooding.

San Jose should expect up to half of an inch of rain overnight Friday and up to one inch Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service has issued a flood watch through this time period. Meteorologist Rick Canepa said San Jose could see flooding and some shallow landslides along waterways.

“We’re expecting rain to increase tonight and tomorrow morning,” Canepa told San José Spotlight. “Rivers, streams and creeks are all going to rise.”

Canepa expects the water along major creeks such as at Coyote Creek to rise, but not to an alarming level.

Valley Water spokesperson Mark Gomez said the agency is working to clear debris to prevent flooding along the most concerning areas, and is providing free sandbags for residents. Valley Water doesn’t expect flooding along larger waterways or the Anderson Dam, but Gomez said people living near smaller urban creeks and streams should be cautious.

“The water could rise quickly in those areas, depending on how that atmospheric river comes through,” Gomez told San José Spotlight.

The last time San Jose saw major flooding was in 2017, when heavy rainfall caused the Anderson Dam in South San Jose to overflow. The flood caused approximately $100 million in damages and displaced 14,000 residents in neighborhoods around Coyote Creek, including Naglee Park, Rock Springs and the South Bay Mobile Home Park.

Valley Water agreed to an $8.25 million settlement with hundreds of flood victims earlier this year. San Jose also paid victims $750,000 in a separate settlement.

Since the 2017 flood, Valley Water has started a new earthquake retrofit project at the dam to help release more water from the area during storms or emergencies. The reservoir is currently at about 3% of its approximately 90,000 acre-feet capacity. The agency is also working to reduce flood risks from rising sea levels in North San Jose’s Alviso neighborhood.

As residents prepare their homes ahead of the weekend storm, homeless advocate Shaunn Cartwright is spending Friday alerting unhoused residents along waterways and urging them to move out of the area. She has gone to numerous camps this week to hand out tents, tarps and blankets to help people get through the cold conditions.

More than 10,000 people are homeless in Santa Clara County, with at least 75% of them living without any shelter. San Jose has two overnight warming locations open, but the 50 available beds are not meeting the needs, advocates said.

Cartwright worries more homeless people will die during the storm. Santa Clara County saw 246 homeless deaths this past year following a record number of 250 deaths in 2021.

“People are freezing out there,” Cartwright told San José Spotlight. “We can’t get people out of danger fast enough.”

To sign up for Santa Clara County’s emergency alert system, click here. To sign up for Valley Water’s alert system, click here.

To find free sandbags, click here. Residents can also report blockages in waterways and spills by calling Valley Water’s watershed hotline at 408-630-2378.

Contact Tran Nguyen at [email protected] or follow @nguyenntrann on Twitter.

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the San Jose Sharks are willing to trade Ryan Merkely after the player requested a trade. Meanwhile, there is talk the New York Rangers might be open to moving Alexis Lafreniere, but that’s not entirely accurate.

Are the Columbus Blue Jackets ready to start moving players? Finally, are the Edmonton Oilers a team that might be interested in someone out of Columbus?

Sharks Make Merkley Available

As per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, “Sources say the San Jose Sharks have made 2018 first-round pick D Ryan Merkley available. Merkley recently requested a trade and Sharks are trying to accommodate. Merkley, 22, has played 39 NHL games and still has waiver eligibility.”

A number of fans on the Twitter thread to Seravalli’s post suggest this is not a surprise as Merkley might have attitude issues and can be a liability defensively. He played 39 games for the Sharks last year, but has spent this entire season with the Barracuda. He hasn’t been getting ice time there either and many believe he’s in the dog house with AHL coach John McCarthy.

Rangers Aren’t Necessarily Trading Alexis Lafreniere

Elliotte Friedman noted during this 32 Thoughts podcast that just because Alexis Lafreniere was a healthy scratch does not mean that he’s going to be traded or that the New York Rangers have put Lafreniere on the market. Friedman says he’s covered a lot of Gerard Gallant and noted that this is often the way he handles players that aren’t giving him everything he wants to see. “He will set players out who he doesn’t think are competitive enough on a game-in, game-out basis.”

Friedman also says the Rangers are not looking to make big roster changes but they do want to get more out of their players who do well in the regular season but have underperformed in the playoffs. Friedman did say that the one thing to watch would be what Lafreniere thinks about his place on the Rangers’ roster and if he might want to move. There is no indication yet that the player is there.

Blue Jackets Likely to Start Making Trades

Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports that Gustav Nyquist isn’t likely to finish the season with the Blue Jackets. As a pending UFA, he should draw interest from other teams and the Blue Jackets will trade the veteran forward at the trade deadline.

Hedger writes, “Given his consistent two-way style and added penalty-killing skill, there’s a possibility he could fetch multiple picks in lower rounds or even a late first-round pick from a contender looking to bolster its depth up front.” He adds that Nyquist isn’t looking to go anywhere as he loves the area, but he understands the business. Hedger adds:

Nyquist and his family love the area, so there’s a desire to stay. The difference is the lack of a new contract plus the possibility that Nyquist could be moved for a valuable trade package and then courted as a free agent in July, something he’d be open to exploring.

source – ‘Uncertain of future with Columbus Blue Jackets, Gustav Nyquist continues leadership role’- Brian Hedger – Columbus Dispatch – 01/02/2023

Gavrikov Too Costly For the Oilers?

Another player who could be on the move out of Columbus is defenseman Vladislav Gavirkov. He’ll fetch plenty of interest and while the Blue Jackets would like to re-sign him, the consensus seems to be that he’ll be moved. Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal thinks the Oilers will show interest in the player as a rental, but that a new contract extension would be difficult for Edmonton to afford.

Matheson writes:

But once he hits the open market, he might be looking for a number that starts with 5. He might be reaching there because Ben Chiarot got $4.75-million as cap hit when he signed as a free agent in Detroit last summer. Anything over $5-million a year is probably too rich for the Oilers if they want to sign him unless they move a defenceman, but the Oilers are in it to win now, right?

source – ‘Vladislav Gavrikov has huge leverage on a new deal’ – Jim Matheson – Edmonton Journal – 01/02/2023

Matheson also notes that the Oilers would have to move out salary to make the trade and that could require sending a sweetener to a team to take on money.

Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance writer, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors, while also writing features on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.”

Other content contributions include: NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and hosting weekly video casts, THW News and Rumors Rundown, plus Oilers Overtime.

For interview requests or to provide content info, follow Jim on Twitter or his social media accounts. They appear under his photo on articles like this one.

CHICAGO -- — Marc-Edouard Vlasic made his NHL debut way back in 2006. And even he is impressed with what fellow defenseman Erik Karlsson is doing right now.

“Every shift he's creating something,” Vlasic said. “He's dangerous every time he's on the ice.”

Karlsson extended his point streak to a franchise-record 13 games, and the San Jose Sharks beat the lowly Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Sunday night.

Vlasic, Jonah Gadjovich and Alexander Barabanov scored in the second period for San Jose, which had dropped three in a row and six of seven overall. Timo Meier and Evgeny Svechnikov added third-period goals.

Karlsson had two assists, breaking the record he shared with San Jose forwards Rob Gaudreau (1992-93) and Jonathan Cheechoo (2005-06). The two-time Norris Trophy winner has two goals and 19 assists during his streak.

Patrick Kane and Sam Lafferty scored for Chicago in the opener of a seven-game homestand. The last-place Blackhawks have lost four straight and 12 of 13 overall.

“I think when one thing bad happens, we're not ready, at this point, to turn the page and get back to what we were doing well,” first-year Chicago coach Luke Richardson said.

Chicago trailed 3-2 after two, but Meier cleaned up a rebound for his 21st goal 3:52 into the third period and Svechnikov helped put it away with his fourth with 7:05 left.

The crowd at the United Center booed after the final seconds ticked off. The Blackhawks dropped to 5-13-2 at home this season.

“I just think our battle level wasn't as high as the other team for 60 minutes tonight,” Richardson said.

San Jose trailed 2-0 in the second before scoring three times in the last five minutes of the period.

“Just loved our perseverance and our mental toughness and how we responded,” Sharks coach David Quinn said.

Gadjovich was credited with his second of the season off a scramble in front at 15:12. Then Vlasic got his first goal since March 26 when Matt Benning's centering pass went off his right skate and into the net at 15:53.