Tropical Storm System Ready To Wallop Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A wet weather system spinning to life in the warm, humid air around the Hawaii Islands was taking aim at the Bay Area Monday, threatening to bring several inches of rain later this week, forecasters said.
The moisture-rich atmospheric river -- called by some the 'Pineapple Express -- was forming off the Islands and is more common in the winter months. On a scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (exceptional), the National Weather Service said the front will batter Northern California starting late Thursday for about 48 hours at category 3 or category 4.
The weather service tweeted that the storm could drop as much as 3 inches of rain on San Francisco by Saturday -- which historically would rank the storm among the 10 wettest starts for April.
While the storm system will not impact the San Francisco Giants home opener on Tuesday it could create havoc with the schedule when the Los Angeles Dodgers roll into town for a four-game series on Thursday.
While the storm will be packing plenty of moisture, warm temperatures will drive the snow level above 8,000 feet in the Sierra. Most ski resorts will have rainshowers instead of snow flurries on the lower runs.
While 2 1/2-3 inches were forecasted for San Francisco more than 3 inches of rain was predicted from Ukiah to Monterey to Sacramento. The coastal mountains could see 4 inches or more.
