A Week of Rain in the Forecast

Our unseasonably balmy weather is, for now, a thing of the past. For the next week or so it’s rain, rain, and more rain. According to the National Weather Service, as much as three to six inches of rain could fall in the North Bay during the coming week.

With the rains come cold weather and winds for the next few days, and wind advisories have been issued this morning on several bridges, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Here in Healdsburg, the current rainstorm moved in last night while most of us were sleeping. Winds are blowing in from the south at over 15 mph, gusting over 20 mph. Between poor visibility due to heavy rain, slick roads and gusting winds, drivers are advised to proceed with extra caution for the next few days.

Rainfall is likely to continue intermittently all day today and tomorrow, dropping as much as an inch over the next two days; then another storm is likely to hit the coast on Thursday.

Though the winds are rain are likely to decrease somewhat as the week progresses, it’s not likely to let up entirely until after the weekend, and we may not see the sun again until Monday or Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a local weather alert last night, excerpted below. You can read the entire alert on this page.

A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL MEAN WET WEATHER ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND…. RAIN COULD BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE NORTH BAY ON TUESDAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL SPREAD INTO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA TUESDAY NIGHT AND THE MONTEREY BAY AREA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. HEAVY RAIN MAY PRODUCE LOCAL URBAN FLOODING AT TIMES... PARTICULARLY IN LOW LYING AREAS.

RAIN WILL TAPER OFF WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER VERY COLD SYSTEM FOR THE WEEKEND. SIGNIFICANT RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL OCCUR BY LATER THIS WEEK AND SOME OF THESE SMALLER STREAMS MAY REACH BANK FULL... PARTICULARLY IF HEAVY RAIN PERSISTS OVER ANY ONE AREA FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LONG PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER LEADING UP TO THIS WEEK...

LARGER RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE AMPLE CAPACITY TO HANDLE RUNOFF OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. IN ANY CASE... PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION.

WINDS WILL BE LOCALLY STRONG AND GUSTY AT TIMES THIS WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME OF THE WINDIER LOCATIONS NEAR THE COAST AND IN THE HILLS.

PERSONS PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OVER FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WET AND BREEZY CONDITIONS. MOTORISTS SHOULD PLAN AHEAD AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE TRAFFIC DELAYS. ANYONE PLANNING TRAVEL TO THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE WINTER STORM CONDITIONS AND SHOULD CHECK LOCAL WEATHER AND ROAD REPORTS BEFORE DEPARTING.

Check the "Weather Bug" widget at the top left of every Patch page for current conditions.