Heavy rain, wind lashes Bay Area and Central Coast as series of storms begins

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A series of storms is bringing moderate to heavy rain and wind to the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area on Monday and throughout the week, triggering multiple advisories around the region.

The National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area office said in its daily forecast discussion on Monday that multiple low-pressure systems moving through the Pacific will ensure wet weather throughout the week. The current system is strengthening as it moves northward toward the Central Coast, bringing some bursts of heavy rain and increasingly gusty winds to the region through into Monday afternoon as it shifts eastward.

The Weather Service said the combination of spring tides and storm surge will bring minor high tide flooding to the San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay areas. A coastal flood advisory was in effect Monday morning through 3 p.m. Tuesday, and residents can expect to see flooding in lots, parks and roads, along with some isolated road closures.

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In addition, the Weather Service issued a wind advisory from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday for the Southern Monterey Bay, interior Central Coast, and the Big Sur Coast. For boaters, a small craft advisory was issued for coastal waters from Point Reyes to Pigeon Point until 9 p.m. Monday, along with a gale warning from 9 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the day will be characterized by intermittent downpours and shifting winds, along with a slight chance of thunderstorms as the atmosphere becomes more unstable, forecasters said. Further south, conditions are expected to be more intense in the Monterey Bay and Central Coast areas.

Residents were urged to exercise extreme caution on the roads and apply the golden rule when encountering a flooded roadway: “Turn around, don’t drown.” It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a vehicle off the road.

Further east, a winter weather advisory was active through Wednesday for the Central Coast mountains, indicating accumulating snow of 5 to 10 inches for elevations above 3,000 feet, with the highest peaks seeing up to 18 inches of snow. In the Sierra Nevada and western foothills, a winter storm warning was issued from 10 p.m. Monday through 10 p.m. Wednesday, with heavy snow expected – up to a foot from 1,500 to 2,500 feet, 1 to 2 feet at 2,500 to 3,500 feet, and 4 to 8 feet of snow at higher elevations. Heavy winds with gusts of up to 55 mph are expected, resulting in dangerous to near-impossible travel conditions with chain controls and road closures.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see temperatures drop as a cold air mass from the north slides over the state, forecasters said, keeping the weather unsettled, with scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms likely.