Flood Advisories Issued As Storms Sweep Across The Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The National Weather Service issued multiple flood advisories Wednesday as another dose of rain moves southward across the Bay Area.

The advisories covered San Francisco and portions of the Peninsula, along with Marin and Sonoma counties, cautioning minor flooding in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage. While most advisories were set to expire late Wednesday morning, updated forecasts expected up to an inch of rain throughout the day, with more possible in the South Bay.

The highest rain totals were expected over the Santa Lucias, where up to 4 inches was in the forecast Wednesday. A slight chance of thunderstorms will remain possible across the region, which could bring periods of heavy rain.

"As the day progresses, expect rain to move inland across the entire region with the coastal ranges picking up the most rainfall of 1.5 - 3 inches and lower elevations seeing 0.5 - 1.5 inches," NWS Bay Area forecasters wrote Wednesday. "Instability looks to increase through the day with the potential for isolated thunderstorms (15-25%) with a focus over the Central Coast."

According to the National Weather Service, precipitation will taper off Thursday, with some lingering light rain in the South Bay, setting up a cooler, drier trend on tap for the holidays.

"A mainly dry cold front will push through Friday night with temperatures cooling down into the 50s for high temperatures by Saturday," forecasters said. "This sets the stage for colder nights with lows in the lower 30s across the interior and 40s near the coast by Saturday and Sunday mornings (potentially beyond)."

Forecasters expect that trend will stay in place through Christmas, with some early signs that rain could return by the middle of next week.