Dec. 05-- Airport workers broke out deicing equipment and records that were four decades old fell on Thursday morning, as an anticipated cold snap continued to roll through the Bay Area.
The freeze set or tied records in several places, including in Oakland and San Jose, which experienced its lowest temperatures for this dates in more than 40 years. It also created unusual scenes at Bay Area airports and made driving a hazard.
Officials at San Francisco International and Oakland International airports said that two departing Southwest Airline flights at each airport that were scheduled for departures at 6 a.m. needed to be deiced before taking off, and that some flights were delayed momentarily until the sun rose and began gradually warming things up.
The low temperature at Oakland International Airport on Thursday was 30 degrees, breaking the previous mark for Dec. 6 set in 2006.
All planes were running on time by 8 a.m., representatives at both airports said.
Planes also were reportedly deiced at Norman Mineta International Airport.
The California Highway Patrol said it received reports of black ice on Interstate 280 near Highway 92 and that one car spun out on northbound I-280 at the Crystal Springs Road exit. The driver of that car was not injured.
Caltrans crews were putting salt on the freeway and monitoring the situation, CHP Officer Ron Bartlett said.
Black ice also slowed down commuters in Walnut Creek after a big patch of it developed on Ygnacio Valley Road at Oakland Boulevard, near the Interstate 680 onramps. No accidents were reported in the area.
Record-low temperatures also blanketed other Bay Area cities. The low of 34 degrees in the city of Oakland broke the previous mark of 35 degrees set in 1972, while the low of 32 degrees in Mountain View broke by 1 degree the previous mark set in 1998. San Jose tied a 41-year mark with a low of 29 degrees.
Temperatures fell into the teens in other places. Napa County Airport experienced a low of 19 degrees, which broke the previous record of 26 degrees.
A freeze warning was in effect throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties, according to the NWS and was expected to remain in effect throughout the day.
Check back for updates.
Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rdERH.
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