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Bay Area residents braced for a soggy ride Thursday morning as persistent downpours continued to drench the area, ending more than a week of wet weather. Another storm is forecast for this weekend, with a chance of rain all next week and more snow in the forecast for the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
A weak and rapid storm swept through North Bay Wednesday night, dropping up to three-quarters of an inch of rain in San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley. Thursday morning, “moderate to briefly heavy” rains continued through the Santa Cruz Mountains and into the South Bay, according to the National Weather Service.
At 6:30 a.m., total 24-hour precipitation included: 3.11 inches at Ben Lomond, 2.68 inches at Boulder Creek, 3.11 inches at Middle Peak on Mount Tamalpais, 0.74 inches at the International Airport Oakland, 0.72 inches in downtown San Francisco, 0.69 inches in Redwood City, and 0.08 inches in San Jose.
Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy in the Bay Area with temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s for the Peninsula, East Bay and North Bay, according to the weather service. The southern bay will experience slightly warmer weather, with highs in the lower to mid-50s. Thursday evening, the weather will be generally clear with the risk of uneven frost after midnight in the South Bay and temperatures in the 1930s.
Another storm is brewing this weekend, which is expected to arrive from Saturday evening to Sunday.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be strong, but what it does say is that we are staying active for the rest of the weekend and into the next week,” said NWS forecaster Matt Mehle.
A winter storm warning was issued by the weather service from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday, forecasting 12 to 18 inches in the Sierra Nevada mountains and local areas are expected to receive up to 2 to 3 feet. The storm was expected to dump 36 inches of snow on Lassen Park, up to 38 inches on Donner Pass and between 12 and 18 inches on Interstate 5. The weather service warned of long travel delays, severe conditions. whiteout and possible road closures.
On Thursday morning, persistent snow showers are expected with possible accumulations of up to a few centimeters, according to the weather service. There is also a chance of snow next week, although the weather service said it was still too early to predict possible amounts.
Mainly dry conditions are forecast for this weekend, which means trips will be “much more cooperative” for those hoping to make a few runs down a ski resort.
Although it will take several more storms to wipe out the severe drought ravaging the Golden State, this year is shaping up to be much wetter than in 2020. San Francisco had received 11.78 inches of rain since Oct. 1 on Wednesday. water year has started, compared to last year when it had rained 1.69 inches during the same period. San Francisco’s hydrologic year is currently 204% of normal compared to historical averages from 1991 to 2020.
“Obviously any kind of precipitation is welcome,” said Scott Rowe, forecaster for the NWS. “Much of California is in a drought and with just one storm it is difficult to quantify the impact it can have on the current drought situation. We had two consecutive dry winters which made the situation worse. There are certainly some good signs that we have seen so far this year from the water.
