The weekend-long storms were expected to kick off on Friday with a Bay Area-wide downpour starting in the afternoon and evening hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Friday’s showers are the first of three waves of storm systems hitting the region this weekend, according to the NWS. This wave was predicted to give off beneficial rainfall from the late afternoon Friday until Saturday evening.
Good morning early risers! Good news: it’s looking mostly dry for your AM commute. Bad news: for your PM commute…not so much. Here’s an animation timing today’s rainfall but in general expect showers around this afternoon and evening. #cawx pic.twitter.com/ECPyigqjSr
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 19, 2024
The rainfall should favor the coastal ranges over inland valleys. NWS totals between Friday morning and Saturday evening were forecast to reach between one and one-and-a-half inches in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, no more than one inch in Concord and less than half an inch in San Jose and Livermore.
Instability in the storms could lead to overnight thunderstorms, though those wouldn’t be widespread but instead isolated, according to the NWS.
The Bay Area will likely wake up to more rain, per the NWS forecast, as it persists overnight. The weekend will kick off with strong winds in the morning gusting 25-30 miles per hour in some areas.
Source: www.mercurynews.com