Heavy Rain, Wind On Tap As 'Atmospheric River' Runs Through Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A period of heavy rain was set to descend on the Bay Area starting Thursday with three storm systems forecast through Monday, part of an 'atmospheric river' event fueled by El Niño.
The parade of storms will bring several inches of rain to the area, along with strong, gusty winds and the threat of flooding and mudslides from already-saturated ground.
KPIX weather anchor Roberta Gonzales said this type of rain and associated mugginess is a hallmark of the atmospheric river phenomenon.
"We have El Niño waking up …some muggy conditions, high humidity. What's happening now is have a series of storms tapping into a good, old atmospheric river, sometimes we like to call it the good, old 'Pineapple Express" … which means we have some big, fat rain drops coming this way," said Gonzales. "This plume of moisture streams all the way back to the Hawaiian Islands."
Wednesday's light sprinkles will give way to heavier rainfall Thursday, ahead of a major downpour forecast for Friday, Gonzales said.
Winds on Wednesday will be breezy, from the southwest 10-20 mph. On Thursday and Friday, wind gusts will be expected to reach 30 miles and hour which could bring down trees and power lines.
PG&E was preparing for possible power outages by monitoring the storms with its meteorologists and putting additional crews on standby to respond to outages, utility spokeswoman Stephanie Dell said.
Rising local creeks could lead to urban and small stream flood advisories or flash flood watches. The heaviest rain is forecast for the North Bay with three to six inches possible.
The Russian River is currently forecast to peak at 31.6 feet in Guerneville on Saturday morning, just below flood stage of 32 feet, according to meteorologist Holly Osborne. During this rainy season, the river has risen only to 23 feet.
There will be a lull late Friday and Saturday morning ahead of another storm Saturday afternoon. The rain is expected off and on through Monday.
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