Storm to hit Bay Area Saturday

Emanating from the northwest, the cold system will likely begin showering the region Saturday afternoon with the heaviest rain expected Sunday. Showers could extend into Tuesday, though they’ll likely taper off Monday evening, said Meteorologist Will Pi. 

“This is a typical storm for springtime,” Pi said, adding chances of thunderstorms are low and wind will not be a factor. 

Pi said another storm is following close behind the incoming one, and while he expects it to dodge the Bay Area, he said showers are a possibility next weekend. 

Even if this storm outperforms forecasts in terms of rainfall, the county will still be behind normal rain totals for the water year by about 10 inches. As of Friday afternoon, 6.27 inches of rain have fallen in the county since the water year began Oct. 1 while historically, rainfall totals by mid-March average nearly 17 inches. 

“We have a 1% to 2% chance of reaching normal, but there’s still time to get close to 10 inches this year,” Pi said.

February was bone dry because a high-pressure ridge over the Eastern Pacific that effectively blocked storms from reaching California. That high-pressure ridge is now hovering above Alaska or just south of the state, Pi said. 

The incoming storm will be the largest the Bay Area has seen since Jan. 16, when 0.68 inches of rain fell. Last weekend, the county saw just 0.08 inches of rain.