The forecasted Atmospheric River has arrived in the Bay Area, bringing rain in the North Bay late Saturday evening, ABC7 reported.
Thick rains, which started pouring on Sunday, will persist until Tuesday.
For Sunday, the Atmospheric River will be a level 2 on the Storm Impact Scale and is expected to rise into a level 3 on Monday.
Drizzle and light rain were first experienced on Sunday. But until Tuesday, the level 2 system will trigger breezy south winds and pockets of rain. Heavy downpour will be expected to hit Sunday night until Monday.
Here are the rainfall estimates in the following areas:
· 1.25 inches of rain in the south bay
· Up to 2 inches of rain in the interior valleys
· 2.3 inches in the interior urban areas
· 3.5 inches for the interior mountains
· 5 to 7.50 inches in the coastal ranges
· 8.11 inches in Santa Cruz mountains (rain rates can reach as high as .75 inches per hour)
Areas that suffered from burns can possibly have debris flows. Also possible are some localized road flooding, but the rain, in general, can be beneficial for the dry soils to be moisturized.
The south of the Golden Gate will experience gusty winds, which can be as high as 55 mph, according to a Wind Advisory from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The greater Lake Tahoe area is already under a Winter Storm Warning until 10 in the afternoon on Tuesday. Residents can expect a couple to four feet of snow with four to eight feet above 7000 feet.
Starting Monday through Wednesday, dangerous waves that can reach 20 to 25 feet will be triggered by a High Surf Advisory.
The North Bay can experience heavier downpours with the probability of thunderstorms with hail on Monday as the storms increase to a level 3.
On Thursday, there is a possibility of a mixture of rain and snow.
