Heavy downpours drenched California this week, flooding Bay Area roadways and producing devastating debris flows in Southern California. Storms also buried ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada with feet of snow in just a few days.
By Friday evening, the most severe weather had passed over the Bay Area, although San Francisco saw a final burst of rain that left vivid sunsets in its wake. Lighter showers were expected to linger overnight and into Saturday morning.
Although tallies were not complete, nearly a week of off-and-on rains brought some three inches of rain to the city. But totals elsewhere were far more impressive. Many west-facing slopes, like the Oakland hills and Santa Cruz Mountains, picked up some six inches, while the station on Mt. Tamalpais logged nearly eleven.
The National Weather Service predicted a 15% to 20% chance of thunderstorms through late Friday night, and high winds delayed hundreds of flights at San Francisco International Airport throughout the day. The region’s flood watch and high surf advisory were both set to expire at 10 p.m. Friday…