(KRON) — It may be the first day of spring but another atmospheric river storm expected to hit overnight Monday is projected to bring a return of winter weather. A wind advisory has been extended into much of the Bay Area, with gusts up to 40-50 mph possible, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall is expected to return to the Bay Area sometime after midnight Monday with Tuesday bringing the worst weather.

“Spring may have arrived on the calendar, but our wintry weather pattern is still in place as the Bay Area readies for more rain,” said KRON4 Meteorologist Kyla Grogan. “Low pressure interacting with a stream of Pacific moisture i.e., another atmospheric river, will bring wind and rain to California overnight Monday into Tuesday including the possibility of thunderstorms.”

Graphic: Kyla Grogan

In addition to high winds, this week’s atmospheric river will bring widespread rain to the Bay Area. 

“This round of weather will bring wind and rain to the Bay Area,” Grogan said. “Urban areas will likely see between .50″ and 1″of rain. Higher totals will be seen in our coastal ranges and that includes the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia Mountains where up to 3 inches of rain could fall exacerbating the already difficult recovery from there from past systems.”

With the brunt of the storm expected to come in late Monday and early Tuesday, weather could make for a difficult commute, particularly on the bridges.

“The wind combined with the rain will make commuting Tuesday morning very difficult as we could see gusts of wind between 30 and 40 mph just as people are making their way across our bridges,” Grogan said. “That wind will continue to increase in intensity into the afternoon and early evening before ramping down.”

Following weeks and months of storms that have already filled many of our reservoirs and soaked the ground, this week’s atmospheric river could bring a risk of flooding — and landslides.

“In addition, the rain that is coming will be hard pressed to soak into our already saturated ground so runoff will happen quickly,” said Grogan. “That could lead to some flooding in low-lying areas and even the potential for soil to start moving as well.” 

With some parts of Northern California still recovering from last week’s storms, Grogan advises residents to be prepared this week.

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“Today my advice is to get your home ready for more rain and wind by securing any objects that could fly around and cause damage and making sure your storm drains are clear,” said Grogan. “If you can avoid morning travel on Tuesday that is also not a bad idea.” 

The good news is that following Tuesday’s storm, we should be in for warmer, clearer, and yes, sunnier weather for the rest of the week.

“I know we’re all pretty weather weary at this point so I also want to add that the latter half of this week is much calmer, and we should even see some sunny breaks. So, hang in there, friends!”