Flood Warning, Advisory Issued For Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — UPDATED: A flood warning was expected to remain in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday for parts of Sonoma County, including Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Cotati, Forestville and Graton, the National Weather Service said.

Flooding caused by excessive rainfall in rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations was forecast to be imminent or occurring through Wednesday morning.

"Creek gauges such as the Mark West Creek, Green Valley Creek, Colgan Creek, and other small streams in interior Sonoma County are still in flood stage," the weather service said. "While rain has ended they will remain elevated overnight."

Drivers should be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding, the weather service said.

ORIGINAL POST: A flood advisory was issued for most of Sonoma County through 5 p.m. Tuesday.

In a statement issued shortly after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall was continuing in Marin, Napa, San Francisco and Sonoma counties.

Heavy rain was indicated at 10:30 a.m. over the area. Rain was tapering off but the weather service was still receiving reports of roadway flooding, as 1-3 inches of rain has fallen over the last several hours.

Additional rainfall amounts of up to 0.5 inches were expected over the area. This additional rain will result in minor flooding.

Some locations that will experience flooding include Santa Rosa, Petaluma, San Rafael, Novato, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Larkspur, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Cloverdale, Fairfax, Sebastopol, Cotati, Sausalito, Roseland and South Santa Rosa.

Minor flooding should be expected in low-lying and poor drainage areas, along with water over roadways, the weather service said.

When encountering flooded roadways, motorists should turn around and move to higher ground, the weather service said.