NEXT, BIGGER STORM ARRIVES EARLY FRIDAY

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Our first in a series of three storms brought a half inch to a full inch of rain to the valley areas of the North Bay overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

The wettest spots in the coastal hills came in at between one and two and a half inches.

Showers will continue through most of Thursday. Meanwhile the next storm is rapidly approaching California from the west.

This second storm will arrive early on Friday, likely impacing the morning commute.

This storm is forecast to stall out a bit while rotating inland over the North Coast. That means it will be over our area for more than 24hours, with rain continuing from early Friday around 6AM to at least midday Saturday.

Some of the heaviest rain will come overnight Saturday and Saturday morning when the cold front itself arrives.

Totals from this 2nd storm may reach 3 plus inches across the North Bay. The coastal hills could exceed 5 inches.

This will likely create some urban flooding and rapid rises in area creeks with flooding in the usual low lying areas from late Friday though Saturday. Even the Russian River may approach warning stage or minor flood stage at Geyserville and Hopland. The Napa River could approach flood stage as well.

The NWS has issued a Flood Watch for the North Bay from 2PM Friday to 4PM Saturday. A coastal high wind watch is will also be in effect late Friday into Saturday.

A third and final storm will arrive early Monday. It will be weaker, but with the ground already saturated, could produce more minor flooding and debris flow issues across the region. We’re expecting an additional half inch or so from this system, with more falling to the north.

After Monday, we should be mostly dry for the rest of the week. A few models like the European (below) have rain returning around the 21st, but that far in the future the forecast will likely change.

More updates to come.