Drenching Storm Brings Inches Of Rain, 65 MPH Wind Gusts To Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - As predicted, a powerful storm arrived Friday, ending a near historic dry stretch for the Bay Area.
By mid morning, parts of Marin County were seeing half an inch of rain an hour. By noon, Mill Valley residents had their sand bags out and emergency responders were watching the forecast closely.
"We try to stay ahead of the curve," said Mill Valley Battalion Chief Scott Barnes.
Rain fell steadily from Novato north, leading to some significant rain totals by 3 p.m.:
Venado (In the North Bay Mts.) 5.64"
Cloverdale 2.96"
Ukiah 2.28"
Santa Rosa 1.46"
Novato 1.04"
The Russian River is expected to rise as much as 20 feet over the weekend.
That flood risk is accompanied by strong winds and fairly balmy temperatures in the 50's and 60s.
"Winds have been an issue as well today, and the wind advisory for the entire Bay Area continues through tonight," said KPIX 5 Meteorologist Paul Deanno.
Here are our peak wind gusts as of 3 p.m.:
Oakland Hills 65 mph
Mt. Tamalpais 59 mph
Los Gatos Hills 58 mph
Atlas Peak (Napa) 52 mph
Half Moon Bay 47 mph
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Pockets of rain were intensifying in the South Bay during the afternoon, making for a potentially messy commute from the Peninsula south.
"Then comes your Saturday...scattered showers and even some breaks with sunshine," said Gonzales. "It will be rainbow weather."
Heavy rain is expected to linger Sunday, leaving some impressive rain totals for the weekend.
However, "the intensity of both the rain and the wind will likely be lower than what we had today," said Deanno.
INTERACTIVE FORECAST: Get The Latest Doppler Readings And Conditions For Your Zip Code
"A lot the urban areas of the North Bay will see four to eight inches," said Gonzales. "We'll see two to four inches around San Francisco, with up to six inches in the Santa Cruz Mountain."
The Bay Area has been under dry conditions since December 22, 2014 with the last measurable rain of 0.07 on Christmas eve. The region had not received any measurable precipitation for 45 days. The longest dry stretch is 60 days in 1876-1877.
