An atmospheric river that was forecasted to blow through the Bay Area this week has stalled in the North Bay on Thursday, causing flooding in many places, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm that arrived in the North Bay late Tuesday has remained stationary over the region, dropping more than 16 inches of rain in parts of Sonoma County like Occidental and Venado in the past 48 hours, weather service meteorologist Rachel Kennedy said Thursday afternoon.
Other parts of Sonoma and Napa counties have had as many as 10 inches of rain in that timeframe, while Marin County to the south has had slightly lower rain totals of between 4 to 7 inches, Kennedy said.
As a result, streams, creeks and rivers in the region have had rising water levels and a Flood Advisory is in effect for the entire North Bay through early Saturday morning.
Santa Rosa and Healdsburg were among the North Bay cities that reported flooding Thursday in several locations that resulted in road closures, and Kennedy said the weather service received reports of flooding into homes in Fulton, among other problems.
Drivers are advised to not drive through standing water or drive around barricades that have been placed to shut down roadways.
“As we start to move into the later evening when the sun goes down, people should take extra precaution when out driving. Anything blocking the roadway will be harder to see when it’s dark,” Kennedy said. “Turn around, don’t drown.”
Other parts of the Bay Area have stayed relatively dry this week but the storm is expected to move further south through the region and down into the Central Coast by Friday, according to the weather service.
A wind advisory earlier this week for the Bay Area expired early Thursday but another will be in effect from 10 p.m. Thursday through 10 p.m. Friday because of a forecast of gusts of up to 50 mph or stronger at higher elevations. A High Surf Advisory is also in effect along the coast, weather service officials said.
Wet weather is expected to remain in the region through the middle of next week.
The post Atmospheric river stays over North Bay Thursday, causing widespread flooding appeared first on Local News Matters.