Residents of the Bay Area are bracing for an impending deluge this weekend as the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts a potent storm system to sweep across the California coast, unleashing heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The NWS Bay Area forecast alerts of “increasingly heavy rain” and “strong and gusty southerly winds” expected from late Saturday night through Sunday.
Flood Watch advisories are already in effect from late Saturday afternoon through Monday morning, with the potential for significant rises in streams and rivers.
The winds are anticipated to escalate to potentially hazardous levels, peaking around 50 mph within Wind Advisory zones, and exceeding 60 mph in areas under Wind Warning alerts, intensifying as the storm makes landfall.
The NWS Forecast Office release emphasizes concerns regarding both wind and rain hazards, particularly in Southern counties, prompting the issuance of a High Wind Warning from early Sunday morning through late Sunday night.
According to the Area Forecast Discussion by the National Weather Service San Francisco CA, scattered showers are expected to persist on Saturday, but the arrival of the powerful storm system during the night will herald intensified rain and wind.
This storm is predicted to focus more on the Central Coast, with areas like Big Sur and the Santa Lucias poised to receive the highest rainfall amounts, estimated between 5 to 7 inches.
Rainfall projections for Saturday evening through Monday morning indicate variability across the region, with the Santa Clara Valley and interior East Bay anticipating 1 to 2 inches of rainfall, while higher elevations, particularly along the Big Sur Coast, could experience up to or above 7 inches at the highest peaks.
Showery conditions are expected to linger into the following work week but are not anticipated to be as severe, offering some relief after the storm’s passage, as outlined in the provided NWS forecast discussion.
