Thunderstorms with lightning, heavy rain and small hail raked across the North Bay and northern Contra Coast county early Tuesday morning as a cold storm system swept over the region. A flood advisory is in place for Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties until 10:15 a.m.
In Richmond in the East Bay, a strong cell moved over the city just after 7 a.m. with very heavy rain and multiple lightning strikes. Some residents in Vallejo were awoken by window-shaking thunder claps.
Thunderstorms with heavy rain and small lightning strikes will persist in the region through about 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning. No area will be spared as the rain slowly progresses southward towards San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose during the morning commute. Upwards of 0.5 to 1 inch of rain is expected through noon, more than enough to cause urban flooding in some locations.
The cold storm will bring a chance of snow to the region’s peaks, along with downpours, gusty winds and small hail in some places. The National Weather Service reported that a few inches of snow appeared to have fallen on Mount St. Helena and Cobb Mountain, as well as on Mount Hamilton…