Next Atmospheric River Heading For Bay Area: More Flooding Expected

SAN FRANCISCO — With another storm ready to blast the Bay Area on Wednesday and Thursday, crews are still clearing roads and cleaning up debris following record rainfall that fell on New Year's Eve, officials said.

Recovery efforts are focused on making streets passable and while some work will only take days, in some instances it could be weeks before roadways are fully opened, something that could be hampered by the upcoming pineapple express-fueled storm expected to hit the Bay Area Wednesday and Thursday.

Upcoming storm likely to bring additional flooding, mudslides

While only light rain is forecast for Tuesday, the storm moving ashore Wednesday is likely to be as powerful or more so than the New Year’s Eve Storm, the National Weather Service said, adding that it expects similar impacts on the area. Soils already saturated by last weekend's downpours will only intensify the new storm's impacts, forecasters said.

SEE MORE: California Storm: 19 Photos Show Brutal Flooding and Harsh Weather

Flood Watches have been posted across the Bay Area and much of NorCal Wednesday into Thursday with the next atmospheric river. pic.twitter.com/IU8wZxPaBo
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 2, 2023

“Flood Watches have been posted across the Bay Area and much of NorCal Wednesday into Thursday with the next atmospheric river,” NWS Bay Area said.

Downpours will be heaviest late Wednesday into early Thursday and will be accompanied by strong winds. Scattered showers are expected to linger Thursday into early Friday.

NWS Bay Area said totals starting Tuesday night are expected to bring 4.5 to 6.5 inches in the Santa Lucia mountains and the Big Sur coast.

Coastal mountains in the North Bay are forecast for 4.5 to 6.5 inches, and the Santa Cruz Mountains and northern Monterey Bay will see 3.5 to 6 inches.

The interior North Bay is expected to get 2.75 to 5 inches. San Francisco, along with the East Bay and South Bay areas, are forecast for 1.5 to 3 inches.

SEE MORE: Flooding Damages Oakland Zoo; Closed For Weeks

A high wind warning has also been issued from 4 a.m. Wednesday through 10 a.m. Thursday. Strong wings with gusts of 35 to 55 miles per hour are expected, with higher gusts in the mountains that could lead to downed trees and power lines. Rain is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

A strong storm system & atmospheric river will bring widespread moderate to heavy rainfall & strong winds to the region from Wed-Thurs. This will increase the threat for widespread flooding and wind damage across the Bay Area & Central Coast. #CAwx #BayAreaWX #CArain pic.twitter.com/rKsDDwmL9R
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 3, 2023

Loss of human life 'likely' forecaster says

One meteorologist even went so far as to say the storm could "likely result in the loss of human life.”

According to the article “Forecasters say mild weather Tuesday only the calm before major storm Wednesday” by Austin Turner of the East Bay Times, officials warned Bay Area residents to use Tuesday as a preparation day for a brutal storm

“To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while,” a National Weather Service report said Monday evening. “The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillsides collapsing, trees down, widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life.

“This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.”

NWS meteorologists told the East Bay Times Tuesday morning that while the upcoming storm could perhaps yield a little less rain than the New Year’s Eve weather event, vicious winds could create havoc throughout the region.

“If you were impacted by the New Year’s Eve storm, meaning if your property was flooded, there’s a good likelihood that the same creeks and streams that responded last time respond this time,” said NWS meteorologist Ryan Walbrun.

The NWS advised residents to make sure vehicles were gassed up in case of evacuation mandates, cell phones were charged, emergency alerts were activated and to prepare for potential power outages.

Sandbags still available

Bay Area residents looking for sandbags can still find them at numerous places, some sites do require residents to fill their own and proof of residency is required at most locations.

Alameda County

Several cities throughout Alameda County provide free sandbag pickups for local residents.

• Corporation Yard, 1326 Allston Way in Berkeley.
• The Hayward Animal Shelter at 16 Barnes Court in Hayward.
• Zone 7 Water Agency at 100 North Canyons Parkway in Livermore.
• City Maintenance Center, 42551 Osgood Road in Fremont.
• Fire Station No. 555 Hackamore Lane in Fremont.
• Fire Station No. 105001 Deep Creek Road in Fremont.
• Newark Maintenance Yard, 37440 Filbert Street in Newark.
• Municipal Service Center, 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland
• Operations Services Department, 3333 Busch Road in Pleasanton
• Public Works Corporation Yard, 14200 Chapman Road in San Leandro

Alameda County also has sites for residents in unincorporated areas to take up to four sandbags for free.

• 951 Turner Court in Hayward.
• 4825 Gleason Drive in Dublin.
• 1065 143rd Avenue in San Leandro.
• 33555 Central Avenue in Union City.
• 11345 Pleasanton Sunol Road in Sunol.
• 20336 San Miguel Avenue in Castro Valley
• 19780 Cull Canyon Road in Castro Valley

Contra Costa County

• 1455 Gasoline Alley in Concord
• Corner of Mt Diablo Boulevard at Village Center Drive and Corner of Camino Diablo and Loveland Drive in Lafayette.
• West County Detention Facility, 5555 Giant Highway in Richmond.
• Lancaster Road near Orchard Lane in Walnut Creek.
• Heather Farm Park Community Center parking lot in Walnut Creek.
• Larkey Park parking lot in Walnut Creek.
• Howe Homestead Park parking lot in Walnut Creek
• Rudgear Park parking lot in Walnut Creek.

Santa Clara County

The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides five sandbag distribution sites offering filled bags, free of charge, 24 hours a day from November through April.

• 5030 N 1st Street in Alviso located behind George Mayne Elementary School, entrance on Wilson Way behind school
• 1925 Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto adjacent to Palo Alto Air Terminal
• City Central Service Yard, 1661 Senter Road at Phelan Ave. in San Jose, CA 95122
• Santa Clara Valley Water District Winfield Warehouse, Winfield Boulevard between Blossom Hill Road and Coleman Avenue in San Jose.
• El Toro Fire Station, 18300 Old Monterey Road in Morgan Hill.

20 other Santa Clara Valley Water District sites offer unfilled sandbags with sand for residents to shovel in themselves, according to an article published by the East Bay Times. The agency recommends people take their own shovels to those sites, as well as assistance for hauling the heavy bags. Some sites require proof of residency.

The City of Sunnyvale is also offering self-serve sandbags from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m, Monday through Friday at the City’s Corporation Yard at 221 Commercial St.

San Mateo County

• Belmont Corp Yard, 110 Sem Lane in Belmont.
• Town Corporation Yard, 601 F St. in Colma.
• Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant, 153 Lake Merced Blvd. in Daly City.
• 150 Tara St. in East Palo Alto.
• Foster City Hall, 610 Foster City Blvd. in Foster City.
• City Hall, 501 Main Street in Half Moon Bay.
• Central County Fire Department Hillsbourgh Station 33, 33 Chateau Drive in Hillsboroug.
• Burgess Park parking lot at Alma Street and Burgess Drive in Menlo Park.
• Menlo Park Fire Station No. 77 at 1467 Chilco Street in Menlo Park.
• 511 Magnolia Avenue in Millbrae.
• Behind the Linda Mar Fire Station, 1100 Linda Mar Blvd., in Pacifica.
• City Corporation Yard, 1400 Broadway in Redwood City.
• Behind Fire Station 51, 555 El Camino Real in San Bruno.
• 1000 Branston Road in San Carlos.
• 1949 Pacific Blvd. in San Mateo
• Public works building, 550 North Canal Street in San Francisco.
• Town Hall, 2955 Woodside Road in Woodside

San Mateo County also has four locations in which residents of unincorporated San Mateo Countycan pick up no more than 15 pre-filled sandbags:

• Princeton Corporation Yard, 203 Cornell Avenue in Half Moon Bay.
• Grant Corporation Yard, 752 Chestnut Road in Redwood City
• La Honda Corporation Yard, 59 Entrada Way in La Honda
• Pescadero High School, 350 Butano Cutoff Road in Pescadero.

For updated forecasts visit AccuWeather

Read more at the East Bay Times.

Bay City News contributed to this story.

Submit your storm photos for publication to Kim Harris by clicking here.