Strong gusts, thunderstorms expected in Stockton area amid latest California gale

As a new storm bears down on California's coast, the northern San Joaquin Valley and Motherlode regions can expect strong gusts of wind and possible thunderstorms ahead.

The storm system brewing over the Pacific is forecast to approach or hit San Francisco Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service said, with the strongest winds whipping across southern California at near 75 miles per hour. Forecasters expect heavy rains down the Central Coast into the south of the state and heavy snow at higher elevations.

The northern San Joaquin Valley and Motherlode can expect gusts up to 45 miles per hour through 9 p.m., with the strongest winds likely in late afternoon, the NWS said.

The winds could blow unsecured objects, tear down tree limbs and possibly cause power outages, forecasters warned. Drivers should be extra careful, especially those driving large vehicles, the NWS said.

Trailer trucks like those often seen dominating the rightmost lanes on the Crosstown Freeway and Interstate 5 in Stockton are at particular risk of wind-related accidents, according to Alisia Francis, a service provider for J.B. Hunt Transport Services in Stockton.

Especially when carrying lighter loads, the trailers can be battered from side to side, she said.

Car drivers can stay safe by "[reducing] speed around the trucks, [and] don't be whipping in and out of lanes," Francis said. "Just be cautious ... be kind of courteous." Truck drivers should typically pull over amid severe gusts, she said.