The fury began minutes past 5 a.m. Saturday. Winds whipped in areas of Contra Costa County, and the clouds above unleased driving sheets of pea-sized hail, then more rain, then more hail. it came with a roar and in slightly more than 30 seconds, it was over.
With that, the bell rang on a bit of fury that was similar throughout the region much of Friday night into Saturday morning. But like most bells that follow a fury, the second round of harsh and heavy rainfall in the Bay Area in 48 hours was expected to be followed by a break.
The National Weather Service said it won’t be a lone one.
A “distinct lull” early Saturday is expected to be followed by a “final push” Saturday afternoon, the agency said.
“We’re gonna see rain fall all day, but it’s not gonna be real intense per se until we get into the afternoon,” NWS meteorologist Nicole Sarment said Saturday morning. “Once we get there, you’re going to see hard, intense showers.”
Showers continue through the day today, with a distinct lull this morning before a final push tonight. Light rain lingers into Sunday with another system coming through during the middle of the week. #cawx pic.twitter.com/Y7NakXNdcW
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) March 2, 2024
Until then, the fury lightened up enough early Saturday that outdoor sports teams were able to get in some time lost during the wet week. At one point, the clouds even parted and sun peered through areas of the region.
“I thought we were going to be rained out for sure. I thought Main Street was going to flood,” said Siobhan Goldsworthy, whose son’s team was among dozens marching in the Martinez Opening Day parade. “I kept waking up and rolling over and hearing rain crashing down. I thought how are we possibly getting this parade in? But it worked out.”
The Sierra Nevada received no real break.
At 7:15 a.m., the Sierra Tahoe snow report said 38 inches of white stuff had fallen. Interstate 80 remained closed at the Nevada state line and Colfax. On Friday night, emergency personnel needed several hours and tow trucks to reach and help motorists who became stranded on Donner Pass, the California Highway Patrol said.
State Highway 50 was open but snow tires were required from 9 miles east of Placerville to Meyers, in El Dorado County.
A blizzard warning remained in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday.
In the Bay Area, more than 4 inches of rain fell at Mount Umunhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains and 2½ inches at Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County during the 48 hours that saw heavy storm activity. About 1¾ inches fell in Oakland during those 48 hours and 1½ inches in Concord and San Francisco, according to the weather service. About a half-inch fell in San Jose.
“Lots of limbs down and a downspout came off,” Pleasant Hill resident Bill Duby said. “I need to check it more in depth.”
The rain on Saturday may not last as long in its downpours, but it may be just as intense in areas where it does fall, the weather service said.
“The rain we see Saturday is not going to be widespread all at once,” Sarment said. “But when that final push comes, there will be a lot of cells.”
Winds also are expected to be strong but not quite as whippy as they were Friday, she said. Gusts reached 50 mph in the region — they were more than 100 mph at the ridge tops in the Sierra Nevada, the weather service said — but were expected to “be more breezy than gusty” on Saturday, Sarment said.
The temperatures also remained cold. The highs on Saturday were expected to be 53 degrees in San Jose and 50 degrees in Concord, Oakland and San Francisco.
By Sunday, only scattered isolated showers are expected to remain, Sarment said. Another storm system that’s far less intense may make its presence felt by Monday, and Sarment said the region may not see a day without rain until Thursday.
Source: www.mercurynews.com