SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A flood advisory has been issued for the North Bay as the second of two storm systems arrived in the Bay Area overnight Friday. The initial advisory was in effect until 11 a.m., according to a tweet from the National Weather Service.
By 11:45 a.m., NWS had extended the flood advisory to 2:45 p.m. NWS says urban and small stream flooding is expected. Flooding is also anticipated on highways, streets and underpasses.
“If you’re headed out, please use precaution, allow extra time to reach your destination, and if you encounter a flooded roadway: Turn Around, Don’t Drown!” the tweet read in part.
The storm system arrived over night Friday along with a cold front bringing wind, rain and snow. The front will bring widespread rain and southerly winds starting Friday night and continuing through Saturday, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service.
“We do have a cold coming in from the north later this evening with rain beginning to develop up in the North Bay late tonight,” said NWS Meteorologist Roger Gass. “In addition, southerly winds will begin to increase ahead of this cold front with wind gusts potentially in excess of 45 mph.”
“Showers have begun to pop across the region in advance of a frontal system coming through later this morning,” read a subsequent tweet from the NWS. The weather service also tweeted that lightning and possible thunder had been witnessed in Contra Costa County.
The main rain band will come through the North Bay around or slightly after sunrise on Saturday morning and move through the heart of the Bay Area Saturday morning, according to Gass.
“It’s going to eventually make it down to the Central Coast and the Monterey Bay region by the time we move into Saturday afternoon with lingering showers and thunderstorms possible through Sunday,” Gass said.
Meteorologists are forecasting that the storm could bring rain, gusty winds, heavy snow and possible thunderstorms, according to a news release from Pacific Gas and Electric. PG&E said it is poised to respond to potential power outages and urges customers to be prepared. The NWS and PG&E meteorologists are both forecasting that the storm will arrive Friday and move southward Saturday.
Winds in the 40-50 mph range could be widespread with gusts over 50-55 mph possible in northern areas, PG&E said. The utility said it is planning an “all-hands-on-deck” response to address issues related to adverse weather.
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Potential weather-related hazards the utility identified include:
- Trees, limbs and other debris falling into powerlines
- Damage to equipment and interrupting electric service
PG&E says it has a plan to respond to outages and has activated its companywide Emergency Operations Center. Local PG&E operations emergency centers will also be activated in impacted regions to provide support, the utility said.
“We are actively tracking the weather around the clock and supporting our local Electric Operations crews who are at the ready to respond to outage activity as quickly as possible,” said Evan Duffey, a PG&E meteorologist. “We urge customers to pay close attention to the weather and keep their situational awareness high to effectively respond to weather-related emergencies, as well as having an emergency plan in place to prepare for outages.”
