Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Massive Sinkhole Forms in San Francisco Neighborhood After Soaking Rain

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
December 3,2014; 4:40PM,EST
 
 
 
Heavy rainfall continued to inundate the Bay Area on Wednesday, and the rain likely caused the formation of a large sinkhole in San Francisco's Richmond section.
The sinkhole is reported to be growing and is already 10 feet wide by 8 feet in length according to CBS San Francisco. Workers from Pacific Gas and Electric were working to fix a broken water main and cover up an exposed gas line, but there was no report of a gas leak.
The drought-plagued region has received welcome rain over the past few days. As of Wednesday afternoon local time, San Francisco International Airport has received 3.14 inches of rain since Tuesday morning. A normal total for the entire month of December is 4.03 inches.
(Photo/ Ryan Takeo CBS San Francisco)
In the past two days, some locations have received more than 4 inches of rain.
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San Francisco Radar
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What Causes Sinkholes to Form?

Significant rainfall is a key ingredient as to whether a sinkhole will open, because once the water is underground, without proper drainage, it can pool and eat away at soluble materials as previously reported by AccuWeather.com Staff Writer Molly Cochran. Soluble rocks that could potentially lead to sinkhole formation include limestone, gypsum and salt.
AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Carl Erickson said the steadiest and heaviest rain is over, but there will be some showers in the area through the first half of tonight.
Erickson added there will likely be a shower or two around on Thursday with more showers Friday afternoon and into Friday evening. Conditions will turn dry over the weekend.

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