This browser does not support the Video element.
Atmospheric river developing; flood watch for entire Bay Area beginning Thursday
Rain is expected to begin in the North Bay as a precursor to the developing atmospheric river which will hit the region on Thursday. A flood watch will be in effect for the entire Bay Area, beginning Thursday afternoon.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A warmer storm system with milder air brewing over the Pacific Ocean at the start of the week will impact California this week and generate a high risk of flooding, including in areas accustomed to receiving heavy snow, according to the National Weather Service.
This atmospheric river will continue to produce heavy snow across the Sierra Nevada.
Meteorologists predict the next round of weather – from Thursday to Saturday – will potentially unleash flooding rainfall, mudslides, feet of mountain snow, and very strong wind gusts of wind.
Saturday will see the heaviest rain.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch warning for most of the Bay Area starting Thursday at 1 p.m. the warning is set to expire at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Additional storms are expected into next week – which also may tap into a 2,000-plus-mile feed of deep subtropical Pacific moisture yielding heavy rain at lower elevations and heavy snow in the mountains.
By Sunday, San Francisco may have more than 30 inches of rain for the wet season.
From July 1 through March 5, San Francisco International Airport picked up 24.68 inches of rain. The historical average annual rainfall for the airport is 19.64 inches.