Light rain to persist ahead of next atmospheric river storm Monday; Flood fears remain
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Bay Area and Northern California were seeing a brief respite from the rain Saturday morning following another atmospheric river storm that blew through the region Friday, triggering new evacuations from floodwaters in Monterey County.
The National Weather Service said light, but steady rain will fall again around the North Bay Saturday, spreading down to the Bay Area and Central Coast by Saturday evening. Light to occasionally moderate rain showers were expected to continue into Sunday
A Flood Warning was in effect for the Salinas River near Bradley affecting Monterey County, while a Flood Watch is in effect for the entire Bay Area and Central Coast from Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning.
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Winds will remain fairly calm with a few typical afternoon breezes in the higher terrain and temperatures were expected around or slightly below seasonal, the weather service said.
Saturday night's forecast calls for more rain with lows in the lower 50s and upper 40s.
The weather service said another storm system will arrive Monday night into early Tuesday morning bringing gusty south/southeast winds and more moderate to heavy rain. The region could see more wind gusts toppling vulnerable trees and power lines with the soils already extremely saturated.
There will be another break in the weather Wednesday evening into Friday when another system looks to move in Friday morning, the weather service said.
This week's storm marked the state's 10th atmospheric river of the winter, storms that have brought enormous amounts of rain and snow to the state and helped lessen the drought conditions that had dragged on for three years. State reservoirs that had dipped to strikingly low levels are now well above the average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from dams to assist with flood control and make room for even more rain.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, a move that will bring more federal assistance.
Emergency officials have warned people to stay off roads if they can and to carefully heed flash flood warnings.
The snowpack at high elevations is so massive it was expected to be able to absorb the rain, but snow below 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) could start to melt, potentially contributing to flooding, forecasters said.
Lake Oroville - one of the most important reservoirs in the state and home to the nation's tallest dam - has so much water that officials on Friday opened the dam's spillways for the first time since April 2019. The reservoir's water has risen 180 feet (54.8 meters) since Dec. 1. Of the state's 17 major reservoirs, seven are still below their historical averages this year.