Here’s How Much Rain NorCal Communities Have Received In Recent Storms

Northern California was soaked — and in some communities, submerged — by a series of weekend storms that delivered several inches of rain across coastal and inland areas, pushing some locations to record or near-record rainfall totals for the start of January, according to weather data.

While the nearly two-week stretch of storms is finally beginning to move on, the persistent pattern, combined with king tides along the coast, brought widespread flooding, hazardous road conditions and other impacts across Northern California. The storms also pushed rainfall totals well above normal for early January in many communities, setting the region on pace for an unusually wet start to the year.

In the North Bay, rainfall piled up rapidly over five consecutive days. San Rafael recorded more than 5 inches of rain between New Year's Day and Jan. 5, an amount that nearly matches the city’s typical rainfall for the entire month of January, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate data.

READ MORE:

• Parts Of NorCal Reeling From Flooding And High Tides
• Marin County Underwater Amid Highest Tide In Decades: Photos

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Nearby Sonoma County saw a similar pattern, with the Santa Rosa area logging about 4.4 inches over the same period. Napa also experienced heavy rain, with more than 3 inches falling in the first five days of the month, while San Francisco recorded between 2.6 inches downtown and more than 3.5 inches near the airport.

Typically, downtown San Francisco has gotten an average of 4.40 inches of rain for the entire month, according to NOAA data collected between 1991 and 2020.

Over in the East Bay, Oakland has gotten some 2.11 inches of rain since the start of the year, according to NOAA.

Farther inland, rainfall totals were lower but still notable. During the early January stretch, Livermore measured about 1.5 inches — roughly half of the area’s typical rainfall for the month.

Forecasters said the rain fell as part of a persistent storm pattern that delivered steady moisture over multiple days rather than a single intense downpour. Temperatures remained mild throughout the region, keeping precipitation as rain at lower elevations and limiting snowfall to higher terrain.

We have received a couple of reports of vehicles stuck in floodwaters in southwestern Sonoma County. This is why we always encourage drivers to turn around, don't drown when encountering a flooded roadway! Just one foot of water can carry away a small car! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/z0FvjjQVLl
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 6, 2026

In coastal communities, the storms coincided with king tides, amplifying flooding impacts in low-lying areas. High tides pushed seawater into streets, waterfront promenades and storm drains, worsening flooding as runoff from heavy rain struggled to drain.

To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, floodwaters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking “ King Tides.”

Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees. Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet, Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said Saturday.

“I’ve been around here for the King Tides, and I’ve never seen it this high. Never,” Jeremy Hager of San Rafael told KTVU-TV.

Parts of San Francisco and the North Bay also reported roadway flooding, overwhelmed drainage systems and hazardous travel conditions as rain continued through the weekend and into Monday.

"It has been a hectic last couple of hours here at the office with the frontal rain band slowly making its way to the east," a National Weather Service forecaster wrote on Monday. "Numerous Flood Advisories have been issued and training showers are continuing to vex parts of our region, including the Santa Cruz Mountains and the East Bay."

Although meteorologists are cautiously optimistic that the rain is beginning to dissipate, light drizzle is possible through Wednesday in the Bay Area.

"The slow exit of the cutoff low will keep the region in a troughy pattern through Wednesday," forecasters wrote in a discussion on Tuesday. "This will keep the storm door open and allow for a cold front to skirt the region then. Fortunately, from a hydrologic standpoint, this will bring little if any accumulation with gloomy conditions and drizzle a more likely result."

Meteorologists said additional storms later this month could further boost rainfall totals, increasing the likelihood of an unusually wet January. However, they cautioned that a prolonged dry spell later in the month could quickly elevate fire risk as vegetation dries out.

Currently, San Francisco is measuring at 118 percent of the average precipitation for this time of year, National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass told SFGATE. In the North Bay, Santa Rosa is at 120 percent of average, while Oakland is at 130 percent of average and at the San Jose Airport rainfall is at 160 percent of average rainfall, he said.

“That’s where we stand now, but if things dry out for a long period of time, that number would go down significantly,” Gass told the newspaper.