The storm that moved through Northern California on Friday will be followed by a more potent system beginning on Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service. And forecasters are closely tracking an “atmospheric river” event that could hit the region in the middle of next week.
The system on Thursday and Friday delivered varying rainfall amounts to locations north and south of the Golden Gate. The heaviest rain came during the morning, followed by off-and-on showers throughout the day. Less than half an inch fell on most of Lake County over the two days, according to Accuweather.
As a result, Clear Lake remained relatively stationary, at 8.1 on the Rumsey Gauge, still well above its historic full level of 7.56.
Following a brief respite with chances of light rain, a more potent storm system is expected to hit the area sometime after — perhaps during — the Super Bowl on Sunday night, according to Ryan Walburn, a forecaster with the weather service. The weather service is also tracking a potential atmospheric river that could pummel Northern Californ1a beginning Tuesday or Wednesday.
Although models anticipate the heavier rains will hit the Bay Area, Accuweather forecasts almost an inch and a half for Lake County on Tuesday alone.
If the forecasts hold, Lake County will have been hit by at least 3.25 inches by Wednesday. And there are chances of rain for the entire region through Friday.
The historical average for Lakeport for the entire month of February is 5.93 inches.
“We all realize we had a wet January,” Walbrun said. “Usually things go in different directions and there’s a drying out. Right now, there’s no signal of that happening. This active storm pattern continues though the middle of the month.”
February began with a storm system that drenched the entire area, with Santa Rosa receiving 1.71 inches of rain in 24 hours. Rainfall totals Thursday were drastically less in other Bay Area cities, including San Jose .22 inches, San Francisco .12 and Oakland .10.
Forecasters are also keeping a close watch on the system bearing down on Northern California Tuesday, which could shift south to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Walbrun said. Forecasters will have a better idea of that storm’s path over the next few days.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack — the source of a third of California’s drinking water — is 177 percent of the historic average, the biggest since it reached 207 percent on Feb. 1, 1995, according to state records. The weekend storm system could dump up to 3 more feet of new snow in the Sierra by this weekend, which could be followed by an atmospheric river event.
