Rain, Thunder Possible Tuesday In Santa Cruz: What To Know

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Rain is likely to continue in Santa Cruz Tuesday as gusty winds descend on the Bay Area.

The National Weather Service said before dawn Monday that a "generally weak atmospheric river" heads into the region. An atmospheric river is a long, narrow channel of water vapor akin to a river in the sky.

Weather officials warned that "a change in the weather pattern is beginning to unfold as patchy but thickening high clouds are now streaming in from the west."

Showers and thunder were again possible Tuesday morning, and rain was expected to continue into the afternoon and possibly night.

Here it comes 👀

GOES-WEST continues to pick up on the next plume of moisture that's on track to impact our region tomorrow. As always, stay up-to-date by tapping the bell to stay notified 🔔 about our latest updates. #CaRain #CaWx pic.twitter.com/0wgORZmYkh
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) November 8, 2021

Weather officials were most concerned about the effect rain could have on vulnerable fire-burn scars, including the CZU fire scar in Santa Cruz and San Mateo countiees.

Officials have issued a "marginal risk of excessive rainfall" due to the rain anticipated in the area of the CZU fire scar, though the storm two weeks ago brought twice as much rain over a longer time frame, according to the weather service. Officials will keep an eye on 30- to 60-minute rain rates as the storm heads over the burn scar.

A wind advisory was in effect for most of the Bay Area, including the Santa Cruz Mountains, from 7 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Sunnier, drier skies were expected to prevail in the latter half of the week. Weather officials anticipated that the storm would enter the middle of the country midweek and the East Coast by Friday.

🌨️7-day precipitation forecast 🌧️

Multiple rounds of heavy rain and mountain snow are expected across the Northwest and northern California. Meanwhile, active weather is set to enter the middle of the Nation by midweek, potentially reaching the East by Friday. pic.twitter.com/GqJ7po8vhM
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) November 8, 2021

Read the latest Bay Area forecast.