Heavy Wind, Rain Could Cause Flash Floods, Power Outages in East Bay

Rain and wind tonight and Wednesday morning will be particularly heavy in the mountains of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, potentially causing flooding in some of the burned areas there, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday. But the entire Bay Area could see disruptions from the weather.

High winds are forecasted until about 1 a.m., with some areas like eastern Alameda County having gusts of up to 60 mph, according to weather service meteorologist Brian Garcia. The wind could cause power outages, and the rain through tonight will lead to slick roadways and some flooding, potentially delaying commutes
and resulting in crashes, according to the weather service.

Most of the rain will hit the mountainous areas of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, where up to 5 to 8 inches of rain could fall over a 12-hour period starting late tonight. Rainfall could be so heavy that up to
an inch an hour could fall tonight, Garcia said.

That could lead to flash floods and debris flowing out of some of the areas that burned over the summer, such as the Loma Prieta area of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the sites of the Soberanes and Chimney fires in
Monterey County, Garcia said. The debris could flow onto and block roadways.

Heavy rain could also fall in Napa and Sonoma counties, where in some areas up to 4 inches of rain could fall, potentially leading to some flooding.

Another larger rainstorm is forecasted for this weekend, when as much as 5 to 7 inches of rain could fall in San Francisco. There will be some rain Friday night, but most of the rainfall will be between Saturday night
and Sunday morning, according to Garcia.

In the meantime, on Thursday and Friday the weather is expected to clear up but temperatures will get chillier, with lows potentially in the 30s in San Francisco.

By Bay City News

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