WET, COLD SATURDAY STORM INBOUND TO THE NORTH BAY

Share with Friends

THE BIG PICTURE

A major spring storm will arrive late Friday night across the North Bay, bringing rain showers, heavy at times, and gusty wind to the region through late Saturday. The cutoff low is quite cold and deep for mid-April, and this combination will make it feel like winter for 24-48 hours until clearing comes late on Sunday.

DETAILS

The cold core low pressure center was nearing the California coast late Friday afternoon.

The low will spin off the Central California coast for 24 hours or so before it ejects south, bringing steady rain Friday night and Saturday morning, with showery weather continuing until around midday Sunday.

Rain will be spread nicely across the state, with much of California receiving upwards of a half inch, and some areas over an inch. A welcome statewide dousing before the heat of summer sets in.

For the North Bay, forecast models have come into agreement on rainfall totals of between a half inch and one and a half inches in the wettest coastal locations by Sunday. This is the National Blend of Models, which splits the difference between the wetter and drier models. It shows close to an inch in many locations by late Sunday.

If you’re headed to the mountains, snow levels will fall as low as 4500 feet at times through Sunday. The heaviest snow will fall in the Central and Southern Sierra, where a foot or more of snow is possible above 6000 feet.

After Sunday, high pressure will quickly build back in as the cold low center passes to the east. Temperatures will gradually warm back into the upper 70s by midweek. And the fine spring weather should continue through next weekend.

Could there be more showers coming our way by the end of April? Possibly. Stay tuned for updates.