Atmospheric River To Hit San Rafael This Weekend

SAN RAFAEL, CA — December is off to a chilly and blustery start this year in Northern California. More turbulent weather is anticipated this week, and residents can expect heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms over the weekend, the National Weather Service announced.

The first of two storms will hit Thursday before a more powerful atmospheric river arrives Friday to soak the weekend. Saturday will likely be the most intense day of the storm, and minor flooding could impact drivers, weather officials said.

In San Rafael, a wind advisory will take affect midnight on Friday and last through 1 p.m. Saturday. Rain is expected to hit before 10 p.m. on Thursday. On Saturday, heavy rain is expected with winds gusting as high as 46mph. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible on Saturday evening. On Sunday, it will be most cloudy with a high of near 56 degrees and showers are likely to last through the day.

On Friday morning, potential frost is expected in the North Bay and to the south in the inland areas of Monterey and San Benito counties.

“Some cold weather rain arrives yet again late this week into the weekend. Now's the time to make sure your gutters and storm drains are clear if you haven't already!” weather service officials tweeted.

Rainfall is expected between .5 and .75 inches in the North Bay, .2 to .5 inches in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, and .1 to .25 in the Monterey Bay region through Friday, the weather service said. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, .5 to .75 inches are expected. One to 1.25 inches of rain is expected in the coastal mountains, officials said.

Rain is expected to pound the region on Saturday, with the North Bay forecast to get 2-2.5 inches of rain. San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area will likely get 1-2 inches of rain.

Winds of around 35 to 45 mph are expected to whip through most communities Saturday, with gusts of up to 60 mph possible in higher elevations. Lighter rain is expected Sunday, with frigid and dry conditions to follow throughout next week.