Coming Storm Prompts Flash Flood Watch For 3 Bay Area Counties; Up To 10 Inches Rain, 100 MPH Wind Gusts In Sierra
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The Bay Area is about to be clobbered again as a storm packing wind gusts above 100 miles per hour in the Sierra, torrential rain approaching 10 inches on mountain peaks, and flash flood watches already in effect for three counties bears down on Northern California.
River levels are already projected to rise dramatically, with the Russian River due to swell over 20 feet by Saturday.
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Bay Area wind gusts may top 50 miles per hour in the local hills and local mountains.
It's not the Storm of the Decade nor #HellaStorm, but it is a significant system--maybe #HeckaStorm--and it comes after the driest January in recorded history left the Bay Area parched and desperate for moisture. Zero inches of rain fell in all of January.
It's all coming, starting Thursday in the North Bay, and moving farther inland as the wave of tropical moisture builds through Friday.
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Already, Sonoma, Napa, and Marin counties are under a flash flood watch, meaning conditions that trigger floods are likely and residents should be prepared.
The National Weather Service warns that the, "...biggest concern for flooding will be spots in the North Bay with poor drainage along with roads and highways prone to debris flows. Specific locations of concern include Highways 1 and 101, plus flood-prone areas around Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park."
And just after the floodwaters begin to recede from the first wave, on Sunday into Monday, round two washes onshore bringing more moisture for the Monday commute.