Flooding leads to road closures in North Bay with more rain possible

SCHELLVILLE, Calif. - Caltrans is preparing for more rain to soak the North Bay after up to three inches fell over parts of Sonoma County on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Steady runoff forced several road closures in rural areas West 101.

"We had constant rain for days and so that’s just slowly accumulating," said Caltrans spokesperson Jeff Weiss.

The California Highway Patrol stopped multiple drivers for ignoring and driving around road closure signs in Schellville, where Highway 12 and 121 were shut down in both directions.

"We get a lot of runoff, and so, a creek like Sonoma Creek, which is pretty mild creek, except for in the winter, and it turns into a torrent, and it jumps its banks and closes the road."

While more rain would be beneficial, it keeps maintenance crews on their toes, using plow trucks to push water out of the way, while CHP reminds drivers to take it easy.

"Reminding drivers this wet and rainy season to slow down. Make sure you leave a good safety cushion between you and traffic ahead of you," said CHP Officer Murphy. "Drive safely."

Tree trimmers are getting ready to cut up what Mother Nature knocks down.

"Well, fingers crossed the weatherman is wrong," said Tree Masters founder Tad Jacobs. "But we’re ready to go."

Trees that struggled through the recent drought have a weaker core and gained canopy and weight in the last couple of wet years, according to Jacobs, making them vulnerable.

"We’re real concerned over this weekend with the amount of rain that we got coming in and some potential wind that we’re going to have a lot of trees toppling over," said Jacobs.

As a reminder of how dangerous excessive rainfall can be, late November flooding in Guerneville turned deadly along the Russian River.

Forecasters advise that if you see a flooded road, you won’t be able to tell how deep it is and warn you to turn around-- don’t drown.

For the latest conditions, call 511 before you hit the road.