Storm Brewing In Gulf Of Alaska To Bring Rain, Thundershowers; ‘The Rainy Day We`ve Been Waiting For’

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A weak cold front rolled over the Santa Cruz Mountains early Tuesday, triggering showers and drizzle in the San Francisco Bay Area, setting the scene for a more potent weather system advancing down the West Coast from the Gulf of Alaska.

The National Weather Service said the overnight storm hit the drought-stricken North Bay the hardest.

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“So far, several locations across the North Bay, northern East Bay (Berkeley to San Pablo area), and coastal SF Peninsula have exceeded 1/4 of an inch of rainfall with this system,” NWS forecasters said.

“Mt Tamalpais is the only location to exceed the inch mark — 1.22 inches as of writing. Farther south, the peak amounts in the Santa Cruz Mountains were around 1/3 of an inch. In the valleys, amounts vary from 0 to 0.35 of an inch with the highest near Napa, Cloverdale, Richmond, Mill Valley and Novato.”

Forecasters warned that another North Bay soaking was on the way beginning Wednesday afternoon.

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“Light rain develops across the North Bay as early as Weds morning with steady rain across Sonoma county by Weds afternoon,” the weather service said. “Thursday looks to be the rainy day we`ve been waiting for since January with much of the Bay Area expected to see steady, soaking rains.”

Rain totals of 0.50 an inch on average were forecasted across the region with 0.25 of an inch or less interior valleys while the North Bay hills and Santa Cruz Mountains could see 1-2 inches.

By late Thursday afternoon into the evening, forecasters warned of possible thunderstorms accompanied by hail.

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“Showers will mostly end by Friday afternoon as the upper trough shifts eastward,” forecasters said. “A beautiful Bay Area weekend in store with plenty of sunshine and highs back into the 70s.”