SAN FRANCISCO – Watch out below! More than rain fell from the sky on Tuesday in California. Strong winds broke two skyscraper windows, causing one to crack and fall to the street below.
The San Francisco Airport reported a wind gust of 77 mph on Tuesday as the latest atmospheric river storms ravaged the state.
The hurricane-force winds in San Francisco barreled through the canyons of the Financial District. The gust broke two windows and even pried one out of the frame of the 555 California Street building. The thick pane fell from the 43rd floor onto the street below.
The window fell near people on the crosswalks, but thankfully, not many pedestrians were on the street in the howling wind.
“What we do know is that one window did break out of its frame. It did fall to the ground, and another one is cracked,” San Francisco Fire Captain Jonathan Baxter told FOX 2 KTVU. “This is something that is unusual, but we’re also experiencing highly unusual weather.”
Officials quickly evacuated the streets and issued a shelter-in-place at about 2 p.m.
One person sheltering in the building a few floors below took video of the gaping hole. Whipping winds and rains blew into the now open window.
Broken glass littered the usually busy intersection. One man told FOX 2 that the glass fell onto his car. The fire captain said no one was injured.
Building managers inspected every window before the high-rise and streets below reopened.
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Construction was being done on the 43rd floor, but management told FOX 2 that they didn’t believe the work had anything to do with the broken windows.
The strong winds also blew over a big rig and a car with a trailer on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge in San Francisco. Crews closed the bridge and had to wait for winds to subside before clearing the wrecks.
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Maintenance crews have a couple of dry days to replace the windows as the next shot of rain arrives in time for the weekend.