Atmospheric River Looms In Wake Of Tornado, 80+ MPH Winds

SAN FRANCISCO — The Bay Area will get a chance to catch its breath after a wild weekend of weather, but an atmospheric river may be lurking on the horizon, according to the latest forecasts.

Saturday morning brought San Francisco its first-ever tornado warning just hours before a tornado touched down in Scotts Valley, injuring five, flipping cars, and uprooting trees north of Santa Cruz. Witnesses captured video of the twister barrelling toward a shopping center, overturning cars in parking lots and sending trees and limbs airborne.

In San Francisco, where peak wind gusts surpassed 80 mph, officials said dozens of trees were downed across the city. Several residents described to the San Francisco Chronicle the fear of being awoken by the sound of a tornado alert, less than two weeks after a tsunami warning rattled the region, as high winds shook windows and made the Golden Gate Bridge "hum."

The National Weather Service said a third and final round of rain should start to wind down Monday, but forecasters are already looking ahead to the next potentially impactful system.

"[Model] guidance favors dry weather through the work week, with a slight warming trend occurring," the weather service said. "This looks to change for the weekend as upper-level low slides into the eastern Pacific. Unsettled and wet weather looks likely; however, it remains too early to hone on the specifics such as timing, rain amounts, and wind."

The weather service told SFGATE that early indications suggested an atmospheric river could arrive late Friday or early Saturday. Forecasters said the incoming one looks different than the atmospheric river that stalled over the North Bay and dumped rain across the region last month, but could still prove to be a rainmaker.

More details on the potential impact of the next storm will be shared as the forecast comes into focus over the next few days.