San Francisco Braces for Strong Storms
San Francisco is preparing for a period of strong winds and heavy rain expected to arrive this week. City officials are advising residents to monitor weather forecasts and take necessary precautions as the storm systems approach the Bay Area.
- This week's weather involves two back-to-back storm systems arriving from the Gulf of Alaska. The first is expected to bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to most of the Bay Area, while a second system will follow after a brief pause between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. - Wind gusts are forecast to exceed 40 mph in San Francisco and could reach up to 55 mph in higher elevations. A southerly gale already caused inbound flights at SFO to be delayed by more than two hours on Monday evening. - The National Weather Service issued a Coastal Flood Advisory for the San Francisco Bay shoreline through Tuesday, warning of possible inundation of up to one foot in low-lying areas. - Initial forecasts have been updated to show a slower-moving cold front, which increases the potential for downpours to stall over the city and cause localized flooding with rainfall rates of up to 0.75 inches per hour. - Some areas could receive over 2 inches of rain by Monday morning alone, with an additional inch possible throughout the day. Higher elevations in the region, like the Santa Cruz Mountains, could see totals up to 5.5 inches from the first storm. - A particularly cold air mass accompanying the second storm is predicted to lower snow levels to around 1,500 feet by Wednesday night, a somewhat uncommon occurrence for the area.
