Flash Flood Watch for Most of Bay Area as Powerful Storm Moves Through Region
By NBC Bay Area Staff ••
Bay Area residents are hunkering down this weekend as a powerful storm is expected to wallop the region with heavy rain and possible flooding.
Bay Area residents are hunkering down this weekend as a powerful storm is expected to wallop the region with gusty wind, heavy rain and possible flooding.
Steady rain blanketed most of the Bay Area Saturday, but the heaviest rain and flood potential is expected to come Sunday. A flash flood watch for most of the Bay Area went into effect at 4 p.m. on Saturday and will continue Sunday.
The latest forecast calls for rain totals likely around two to four inches for lower elevations, NBC Bay Area Chief Meteorologist Jeff Ranieri said. Higher elevations of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which already accumulated two inches of rain late Saturday, could see more than six inches of rain this weekend.
Rivers, creeks and streams could rise to near flood stage, Ranieri said. Flash flood watches are in effect for every Bay Area county excluding Solano County.
The San Lorenzo River in Felton late Saturday was at eight feet. The river in Santa Cruz County on Sunday afternoon is projected to be running 21 feet -- well above flood stage.
NBC Bay Area meteorologist Rob Mayeda breaks down when most of the intense rain from a powerful storm is expected to touchdown in the Bay Area.
In Boulder Creek, homeowners living alongside the San Lorenzo River are keeping an anxious eye on the quickly rising waters. Residents in the area have also stocked up on emergency supplies.
In Sonoma County, all eyes are on the Russian River, which is already projected to flood on Sunday.
Residents and officials in the North Bay city of Fairfax are also preparing for the worst. Fairfax Creek, which runs right through town, could flood if the predicted forecast proves to be true.
"If all roads lead to what the predictions are, I think the creek is going to over exceed its banks," Fairfax police chief Christopher Morin said. "How bad that is, we don't know."
NBC Bay Area/Christie Smith
A tree came crashing down on Saturday afternoon in Oakland and immediately blocked every lane of southbound traffic. (Jan. 7, 2017)
Crews were out in full force Saturday afternoon after a tree fell on Highway 13 in Oakland. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Battling the rain, crews along the Peninsula had to chop a fallen tree that was partially blocking I-280 in Burlingame. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Trees toppled over and took down power lines on Lucas Valley Road, between Nicasio Valley and Westgate roads, in Marin County. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Trees toppled over and took down power lines on Lucas Valley Road, between Nicasio Valley and Westgate roads, in Marin County. (Jan. 7, 2017)
San Francisco Fire Department
No one was injured after a tree fell on top of a house in San Francisco. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Marin County Sheriff's Department
A home in Novato is the victim of a fallen tree. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Marin County Sheriff's Department
A house in Novato is covered by broken tree branches. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Jessica Corona
A tree came thundering down in Santa Cruz. (Jan. 8, 2017)
A large tree crashes into the Whitehall Lane Winery guest house. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Tony Leonardini
Tony Leonardini poses in front of a tree that came crashing into the Whitehall Lane Winery guest house in St. Helena. (Dec. 8, 2017)
Tony Leonardini
Tony Leonardini poses in front of a tree that came crashing into the Whitehall Lane Winery guest house in St. Helena. (Dec. 8, 2017)
Virginia Foley @vf29
A large evergreen tree crashed in El Granada during the storm on January 8, 2017. (Jan. 09, 2017)
Virginia Foley @vf29
A large evergreen tree crashed in El Granada during the storm on January 8, 2017. (Jan. 09, 2017)
In San Francisco, flood barriers have been set in the area of 17th and Folsom streets to move water away from properties when the big storm moves in.
High wind warnings and wind advisories are also in effect across much of the Bay Area. Among a number of other fallen trees around the Bay Area, one such piece of lumber crashed in Oakland Saturday afternoon and blocked all southbound lanes of Highway 13.
The combination of blustery conditions and wet weather also put a damper on Bay Area air travel. A total of 226 delays and 72 cancellations were reported at San Francisco International Airport as of 2:45 p.m. Oakland International Airport reported 20 delays and one cancellation.
The heavy rains come as California enters a sixth year of drought, starting in October with more rain falling than in three decades, mostly in Northern California. Los Angeles is experiencing the wettest winter in six years, forecasters said.
VHT Studios
NBC Bay Area
In West San Jose, the sound of a huge tree limb cracking woke up an entire neighborhood. A limb from this 50-year-old cedar tree near Eden Ave. and Acorn Dr. was caught on power lines for at least six hours.
A truck splashes through a puddle in the Santa Clara Mountains. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
A portion of roadway in the Santa Cruz mountains is blocked off after being eaten away by a series of storms. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
A makeshift lake forms along a road in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Rainy weather in the North Bay takes a toll on a road in Napa. (Jan. 7, 2017)
NBC Bay Area/Damian Trujillo
The San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto gathers storm water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Flood waters rise in the North Bay. (Jan. 7, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
A car attempts to drive through a flooded roadway in Windsor. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
A road in Penngrove is covered with flood water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
Flood water collects in Penngrove. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
A road in Penngrove erodes as a result of this weekend's storm. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Kim Schaffer
A car parked in Petaluma is surrounded by water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Kim Schaffer
A road in Petaluma is completely consumed with rain water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
VHT Studios
A car in Petaluma makes its way along a flooded road. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Angel Mendoza Hernandez
A parking lot in Morgan Hill turns into a pond. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Shara Kemper
Rain water pumps out of a drainage system in Los Gatos. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Abe Briones
A creek in Gilroy expands as it accumulates rain water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Vincent Piombo, Co-Owner Aperture Media & Design
Flood gates block off a flood street in Napa. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Vincent Piombo, Co-Owner Aperture Media & Design
A road in Napa is covered with rain water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Vincent Piombo, Co-Owner Aperture Media & Design
The Napa River gushes with rain water. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Vincent Piombo, Co-Owner Aperture Media & Design
The Napa River swells during heavy rain. (Jan. 8, 2017)
Wind speeds in the 20-30 mph range around the Bay Area, high wind warning for the hills and coast extended to 3pm Sunday. #CAwxpic.twitter.com/FwGVY2HANx
