Point Reyes storm caution
- Marin County issued a winter‑storm watch and wind advisory for coastal roads and trails near Point Reyes. - Officials warned of gusts up to 50 mph and advised postponing nonessential trips along Highway 1 near Olema. - A separate wildlife update noted a mountain lion was captured and collared to support expanding local research on corridors. ( )
Point Reyes visitors and West Marin residents are heading into a windy, stormy stretch, with advisories covering the coast through midweek. (weather.gov) The National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office on Tuesday, April 21, showed a Wind Advisory in effect as a Pacific storm system pushed strong winds and rain onto the West Coast through Wednesday. A Marin County travel update said the advisory runs from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday, with countywide winds of 25 to 35 mph and stronger gusts along the coast and ridges. (weather.gov) (marincountyvisitor.com) In West Marin, places like Bolinas, Inverness, Olema and the Point Reyes shoreline face the roughest conditions, with gusts reaching 50 to 55 mph in exposed spots. Officials warned that loose debris, downed branches and scattered power outages are possible, and that driving can get harder on exposed roads. (marincountyvisitor.com 1) (marincountyvisitor.com 2) That matters in Point Reyes because Highway 1 through Olema is the main road into the national seashore, campgrounds and trailheads. Caltrans told drivers to check live highway conditions before leaving, a routine warning that carries more weight when wind and coastal flooding advisories overlap. (roads.dot.ca.gov) (marincountyvisitor.com) The same weather pattern also brought a Coastal Flood Advisory for Marin’s shoreline from 8 a.m. Tuesday through 2 p.m. Saturday, with up to 1.2 feet of flooding possible in low-lying areas. That includes parking lots, beach access roads and other spots near the water that can flood at high tide even when inland conditions look manageable. (marincountyvisitor.com) At the same time, wildlife researchers in inland West Marin are tracking a different kind of movement: a mountain lion now wearing a GPS collar. All Hands Ecology said its Living with Lions program captured an 8-year-old, 140-pound male known as P-60 in the Lagunitas area last month, then released him after collecting blood samples and fitting the collar. (allhandsecology.org) The capture is the first in Marin for the group’s North Bay research effort, which has focused on how lions move between habitat blocks in Sonoma, Napa and now Marin. Tom Gardali, chief executive director of All Hands Ecology, said P-60 “has been doing great” since release. (allhandsecology.org) (marinij.com) Taken together, the updates show two sides of spring in Point Reyes: a coast where weather can shut down a trip in a few hours, and an inland corridor where scientists are still mapping how wildlife moves through West Marin. For Tuesday and Wednesday, though, the immediate instruction is simpler: secure loose gear, watch the road reports, and wait out the worst of the wind. (weather.gov) (roads.dot.ca.gov)
