Bomb Cyclone Breaks Thousand-Year Record: NWS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The bomb cyclone billed as “once in a decade” is actually “once in a millennium,” in some spots. According to the National Weather Service, downtown Santa Rosa received 12.47 inches over three days, the most it’s gotten in 1000 years. Its most recent three-day record was 9.72 inches, according to the Bay Area News Group. As of Saturday morning, the city has seen 386% of its normal rainfall amounts since Oct. 1, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun told SFGate.

As is the case with most Bay Area weather events, the North Bay was the hardest hit. Venado, an unincorporated area in Sonoma County, saw the highest amount of rainfall for seven days ending Sunday night at midnight, according to National Weather Service data compiled by the Bay Area News Group.

Here are the top 5 locations, with rainfall in inches:

1. Venado: 22.97
2. Lake Sonoma: 15.69
3. Santa Rosa: 12.67
4. Mt. Tamalpais: 11.53
5. San Anselmo: 11.14

The least hit spots were in the area around San Jose, and coastal areas further south:

1. San Jose: .79
2. Mountain View: .83
3. Monterey: .85
4. Salinas: 1.10
5. Sunnyvale: 1.22

San Francisco was around the middle of the list, with 3.97 inches, and Oakland was just behind at 2.73.

The storm wreaked havoc on local roads, especially on Friday, one of the wettest days. Roads were closed due to flooding in San Francisco, Oakland, Napa, San Jose and parts of Contra Costa county, according to the Bay Area News Group. On Saturday morning at around 10 a.m., a 15-foot sinkhole opened on southbound Highway 101 in San Francisco, causing the right two lanes to close.

Hundreds of flights at regional airports were delayed, and dozens were canceled. 313 delays and 22 cancellations were reported at SFO on Monday as of 11:30 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware. Similar statistics were reported at SFO over the weekend, and on Friday, a whopping 671 delays and 69 cancellations were reported.

Two deaths have been reported so far. In Sonoma County, where floodwater reached six feet in some areas, a man was found dead in a submerged car. In Santa Rosa, a man’s body was found in a creek Saturday morning.

The worst of the rain appears to be over, but rains will persist the rest of the week across the region, according to the National Weather Service. In a Monday morning update, NWS predicted steadier rain across the region Tuesday, with rain tapering off Tuesday night. Drier conditions are expected Wednesday, but there is a 15-25% chance that rain will return late Thursday afternoon and evening. In all likelihood, the travel right before Thanksgiving will be relatively dry, a rare bit of good weather news.

Don’t plan any festivities by the beach, however. NWS issued a Beach Hazards Statement along the coast from Santa Cruz to northern Marin County from Tuesday through Thursday evenings, warning of rip currents with breaking waves of 10-14 feet. Regional highs will range from the mid 50s to mid 60s throughout the week.

RELATED:

• Hundreds Of Flights Delayed, Dozens Canceled At SFO: FlightAware
• Bomb Cyclone, Atmospheric River To Unleash Rain, Wind, Sierra Snow
• Man Found Dead In Car Submerged In Floodwater In Sonoma County
• Body Found In Santa Rosa Creek