It looks like California was in for another treat to much-needed rainfall. However, it may be too much of a good thing... Weather scenario as of Monday, December 1, 2014: The second of two strong pacific storms (1st one had hit on the weekend right after Thanksgiving) was set to head over the greater Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas beginning Monday night and extending into Wednesday. This storm system was followed on the heels of a previous system that had just delivered 1 to several inches of rain to the Bay Area over the past few days. The 1st system had brought 3-4 inches in the Santa Cruz and coastal North Bay mountains, which created slick roads and downed some trees and power lines in locations. Soils were now well saturated and streams are still emptying the runoff from the recent rains. The forecast for this 2nd storm system was for plentiful precipitation to arrive in two main episodes. The 1st episode was predicted to begin late Monday night and continuing through midday Tuesday, bringing periods of heavy rain in areas around the Bay Area, including our area of San Jose, CA. The second episode was slated to come by late Tuesday night into Wednesday, bringing widely spread rain throughout the region. The second episode, unlike the first, was to bring more evenly distributed precipitation to the region, with the potential for focus on the North Bay counties rather than Monterey Bay and southward. The end result of both episodes was that rainfall totals for Monday night through Wednesday may reach upwards of 5 inches particularly at higher elevations like in the Santa Cruz mountains. Many areas of the Bay Area would generally get above an inch of rain, with even higher amounts in higher terrain before all was said and done. What about the rare lightning deal? Weather scenario as of Tuesday evening, December 2, 2014: Doppler radar data indicated moderate to heavy rain falling across a portion of the North Bay in addition to widespread moderate to heavy rainfall over the coastal waters moving toward our area. Parts of the Bay Area saw more than 100 lightning strikes and heavy rain Tuesday night. Unlike most rainstorms that come from Alaska this time of year, this storm system came from a subtropical area of the Pacific Ocean, southwest of California. The combination of days of accumulated rainfall and gusty winds would result in several downed trees and possible power outages. Keep in mind that there are many more dead trees this year as a result of the long term drought conditions in addition to other factors. In the event that any power lines fall... remain at a safe distance and contact your local power provider... Word of Caution: Noting that soils were already moist and that winds were higher with this second system, the most likely impacts in coastal mountains would be downed trees and power lines, as well as debris flows and rock falls in steep saturated areas. In some areas, and depending on rainfall intensity, some roadways and agricultural areas were flooded, and storm drains were clogged or temporarily overwhelmed. Be safe and exercise caution, particularly in urban areas where ponding and drainage problems were to develop... More storms and rain and even a stronger storm (on December 11) was on tap for our state... We may need the rain but it may be too much of a good thing at this point! (Footage and photos taken around San Jose, CA from December 1-3, 2014)
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 08:08:41 +0000
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