Forecasters expect the Bay Area to have its rainiest week since spring, with three cold, wet storm systems moving over the region.
“As far as Bay Area-wide goes, this is the first widespread rain with many places getting above that 10th of an inch mark,” said Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office.
The strongest rain of the first cold front has already passed over the region, but scattered showers will linger throughout the day.
“So far, a lot of areas have passed that quarter of an inch threshold, and today, San Francisco is going to get as much as a half inch of rain, depending on where you are in the city,” said Murdock.
A second cold storm from the Gulf of Alaska will likely cover Northern California on Wednesday. Temperatures could drop into the low 30s during the morning hours in inland parts of the region and the 40s for Bay Area cities like San Francisco. The second storm will weaken once it reaches the Bay Area, with as much as a quarter-inch of rain in cities like San Francisco and Oakland. Murdock said the North Bay could get the greatest amount of rain on Thursday through Saturday.
“When it’s all said and done, there will be areas in the North Bay that get to an inch over those four days,” he said. “But San Francisco and the Bay Area proper will probably stay closer to the quarter to a half-inch range.”
Murdock said the likelihood of flooding is low — even though the highest peaks, like Mount Tamalpais, could receive an inch of rain — since the storm is dropping precipitation over a period of time instead of all at once.
“As far as beneficial rain systems go, this one’s hitting the mark,” he said. “We’ve definitely seen worse with atmospheric rivers. So I think the Bay Area can handle these kinds of winds and rain.”
Murdock said a third storm is expected to follow late this weekend or early next week, but it’s still too early to tell how wet that storm will be.
“As far as rain chances returning, there’s good confidence that it’s looking like the second half of November will stay on the wetter side,” said Murdock.
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