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Worst of storm appears to be over
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern California was hit by a second wet and windy storm on Sunday, though it appeared to do far less damage than a similar system two days earlier.

The worst of the wind and rain was over for the San Francisco Bay Area by the early afternoon, though scattered showers were expected through Monday morning, said National Weather Service forecaster Austin Cross.

Wind gusts of over 45 mph were reported earlier in the day, with steady precipitation that dropped an additional 2 inches of rain in coastal areas.

“This storm has less rain and is also moving through a bit quicker than we saw on Friday,” Cross said. “That’s helping it from getting too severe.”

Friday’s storm knocked out power to more than 90,000 people in the Bay Area. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. crews were not seeing anything similar by Sunday afternoon, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said. PG&E had brought in crews from Oregon, Washington and Arizona to prepare for the storm.

At San Francisco International Airport, officials said more than 80 flights were canceled as of the afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration was reporting arrival delays of as much as 2½ hours.

Friday’s storm led to the cancellation of 175 flights at the airport.

There were also reports of downed trees and some localized flooding.

The two storms were not expected to end California’s ongoing drought.

Friday’s storm dropped 10 to 15 inches of snow at higher elevations of the Northern Sierra, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday’s storm system was also expected to be warm, bringing as much as another 14 inches of snow.

Snow is more important than rain because snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by residents, agriculture and industry.