The National Weather Service has issued a weather update indicating that a warm sector rain has reached the North Bay coast, with expectations for it to continue pushing south through the morning. A more impactful storm is set to arrive on Sunday afternoon, bringing periods of heavy rain and strong southerly winds through Monday.
As of the latest radar observations, the North Bay and coastal waters are experiencing stratiform rain. The rain is currently light to moderate in intensity, with rain rates below 0.2″ per hour. The Saturday rain forecast remains mostly unchanged, with the North Bay expected to receive around 1″ of rain, coastal areas closer to 1/2″, and the coastal mountains potentially seeing 1-2″ due to orographic enhancement.
However, inland valleys, like San Jose, may struggle to surpass 1/4″ due to the rain shadow effect. Southerly winds will increase throughout the day as a cold front approaches, with gusts nearing gale force along the coast in the afternoon and evening. Rain and wind are expected to taper off substantially by midnight.