Robust Atmospheric River Dumps Nearly A Foot Of Rain On Mt. Tam
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- In a region in the grips of a severe drought the rain totals from a potent atmospheric river were a welcomed relief -- nearly a foot of precipitation fell over the last 72 hours on Mt. Tamalpais and more than 10 inches drenched Ben Lomond in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
It may not be a drought buster, but it certainly eased the parched conditions and brought much needed moisture to the Bay Area hills and reservoirs.
"This is great," said Authur Bosshardt, who was out for a walk in San Anselmo. "It's what we need. Not much higher, but it's really needed."
The welcome rain didn't stop Oakland resident and artist Zhenne Wood from walking her neighbor's dog.
"I decided to stay home today and not go anywhere, which is nice," she said. "And I'm really happy for the rain. I think we needed it a lot."
According to the National Weather Service's 72-hour totals, Mt. Tamalpais got the highest amount of rain in the Bay Area at 11.37 inches, but the Santa Cruz Mountains got the most widespread rainfall. Ben Lomond got 10.02, Scotts Valley 9.68, Boulder Creek 9.32 and Felton 8.06 inches.
Guerneville got 6 inches with the runoff pouring into the Russian River while Santa Rosa got 7.5 inches. The water levels at the vital Lake Sonoma reservoir had risen 4 inches by early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the weather service said with the storm totals San Francisco now has had 11.48 inches so far for the weather year that started on Oct. 1. That would rank it as the 9th wettest start to a season on record.
