Very Wet and Powerful May Storm Approaching

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If you’ve placed the fancy patio furniture outside, you might want to cover it for a few days as an unusually large and wet late spring storm system is headed toward the North Bay.

Over the next few days, we could pick up 1-2 inches of rain in places like Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Healdsburg and Rohnert Park.

The satellite picture today shows a broad area of low pressure coming ashore in the Pacific Northwest, and a strong frontal system to our west headed in. The Bay Area is on the far right side of the satellite loop.

In the past 24 hours this storm has trended wetter and stronger, and most models predict it will arrive with mid-winter strength which is quite unusual for mid-May. Rainfall will begin late on Tuesday in the North Bay, and continue Wednesday before the heaviest rain arrives Wednesday night. Thursday should be showery.

Forecast rainfall totals from the various models range from 1-2 inches for Sonoma County and much of the North Bay by Friday. Here is what two of the most reliable models are forecasting.

So, a lot of rain headed in, especially for May. In fact in a day or two we could exceed our average amount of rain for the entire month of May!

Looking further ahead, after the heavy rains clear out by Thursday, the weather looks to stay cool and showery for perhaps a week…again very unusual for May. This will bring chances of showers at times through most of next week. By Friday the 24th, some forecasts show cool low pressure still hanging over California and the rest of the West.

So, in conclusion, after a calm day today and most of Tuesday, get ready for a late shot of winter weather that will last through most of the upcoming week!