Atmospheric River Unloads On South Bay: NWS

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — An atmospheric river has unloaded on the South Bay and more rain is in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.

Most of the South Bay got well over an inch of rain with the exception of Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport, which got 0.73 inches of the wet stuff within a 24-hour period, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Kentfield (Marin County) reported a 24-hour total of 4.65 inches, and Mill Valley reported 2.56 inches, according to the NOAA.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the worst of the storm appears to have passed.

The NWS downgraded the storm from a “Level 3” to a “Level 1” on the Storm Impact Scale, and at around 12:30 p.m. the National Weather Service began canceling flood advisories issued throughout most of the area early Tuesday morning.

But rain is expected to start up again Wednesday night and continue through New Year’s Eve.

The NWS said Monday that its latest five and seven-day forecasts signal what could be the wettest end of the year in the Bay Area since 2005.

Just south of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco recorded 1.86 inches; Oakland recorded 2.41 inches, and San Jose International Airport recorded 0.68 inches. Further south along the coast, Ben Lomond recorded 4.46 inches, and Soquel recorded 3.11 inches.

SFO Airport reported gusts as high as 47 mph, and gusts of up to 60 mph were reported in higher terrains.

The storm left widespread flooding and chaos in its wake. PG&E said that 6,800 customers across the Bay Area reported power outages by 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Flooding was reported near Santa Rosa, Napa, Redwood City, and Oakland, as well as on the 101, I-580, and on Highway 1 in San Mateo County, in addition to many other incidents.

The California Highway Patrol said it was responding to more than 60 incidents on Bay Area freeways Tuesday morning, and BART trains were delayed by up to 20 minutes.