Bay to rain in the new year

The past weekend’s 48-hour rainfall brought an average of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches of rain to the county with up to 3 inches in some areas. After Wednesday’s mostly dry weather the rest of the week heading into New Year’s Day will also be wet, brining in another 4 inches of rain amid some breaks from the showers throughout the week. 

The rain is anticipated to start up Wednesday night with sporadic rainfall through Thursday. The weekend should see heavy showers up until 8 p.m. on Saturday night, Garcia said.

“By the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve the rain should be done and you can count on a nice night with warm temperatures,” Garcia said.

The water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, is how meteorologists scale, measure and compare previous years. This year, the county has accumulated 6.61 inches of rain as of Dec. 27. Garcia said this year looks pretty good compared to previous years, adding the average rainfall for this time is 6.41 inches.

“This is all beneficial but it’s not a drought breaker, it’s a multiyear drought so, we are going to need multiple years of consistent rain to dig ourselves out of that,” Garcia said.

Heavy rain is a cause for concern in flood-prone areas. Garcia said smaller rivers could exceed their banks and cause flooding throughout the Bay Area. Some county agencies have offered the public support in cases of flooding. 

Millbrae Public Works has refilled its sandbag station for residents who are invited to take what they need to protect their properties. The station is located on Millbrae Avenue between Palm and Hazel avenues. The city also has pre-filled 400 sandbags and placed them on pallets on Landing Lane for the nearby residents, according to a press release. 

Millbrae staff also advises to not drive or walk through standing water or flooded streets because the depths are unknown and could be dangerous. Millbrae residents can call (650) 363-4951 for all after-hour emergencies that pertain to water, street, sewer and storm concerns.

The county has also provided sandbags for residents in unincorporated areas who may pick them up free of charge. There is a limit of 15 pre-made sandbags per person. In addition to pre-made sandbags, the county provides materials for individuals to fill as many bags as they need on their own. Visit: https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/sandbags for more information on pickup locations.

Despite the rainy week and flood concerns, Garcia said there is a warm air advection, a wind system that transports warm air from one region to another, which will bring the region warmer temperatures heading into New Year’s Day before it begins to cool off on Monday.

Throughout the week, temperatures will range in the upper 50s to lower 60s and this weekend temperatures could be as high as mid- to low 60s, with early morning lows in the 50s.

“It will be pleasant temperatures even though we have rain,” Garcia said, who added Sunday morning, temperatures will bottom out and the cold front on Monday morning will cause temperatures to drop to the upper 30s.

For anybody who is traveling to Lake Tahoe for New Year’s celebrations, Meteorologist for the NWS Craig Shoemaker said the Sierra Nevada Mountains are expecting heavy rainfall,which can be hazardous and cause travel delays.

“Monitor the situation. It’s going to be mostly rain, there will be some snow then and there will be slick conditions,” Shoemaker said. “It is going to be difficult to travel. Just because it’s snowing now doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be hazardous travel, such as mudslides and rock slides, so expect some travel delays.”

Like Shoemaker, Garcia also advised people who are traveling within the county this weekend to be cautious because the roads will be slippery.

“If your wipers are on, your lights are on,” Garcia said. “Be cautious of other drivers, slow down and stay further back from other cars than you would in dry weather.”