As storms struck California starting Wednesday morning, San Francisco issued warnings about high gusts that might cause trees to fall, heavy rain, and perhaps flooded streets. Forecasters stated that residents in the mountains could experience 20 inches of snow and “impossible” travel conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, the San Francisco Bay Area might see up to 4 inches of rain in the coming days. The rain is predicted to start on Wednesday morning and pick up speed on Thursday.
San Diego, which is still rebuilding from floods that hit it and Southern California on January 22 following the wettest January day on record, was placed under a flood watch beginning on Thursday.
“On Thursday, the main storm is anticipated.” In a video briefing on Monday, Alex Tardy, a senior meteorologist with the weather service in San Diego, stated that “that looks to be the greatest impact on Thursday.”
Forecasters there predicted 1½ to 2 inches of rain to fall in coastal regions and valleys, and 3 inches to fall on coastal mountain slopes.
The Los Angeles weather service stated in a forecast discussion that the Los Angeles area could have 1 to 3 inches of rain starting Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with half-inch-per-hour chances.
In the end, Southern California’s rain may be beneficial. Much of the region is not seeing typical precipitation levels for this time of year, even if San Diego, which was recently hit by storms, is.
“Southern California and much of the Southwest are still much below normal,” Tardy stated.
