Fire zones brace amid heavy rain
Bay Area drenched; burn areas ready for mudslides
As a rainstorm that was expected to be the wettest of the season battered the Bay Area on Monday, authorities prepared for possible mudslides in areas scarred by October’s wildfires but stopped short of evacuations like those ordered in some Santa Barbara County neighborhoods.
Showers started throughout the region early Monday, just after midnight, causing havoc on some roadways as cars spun out and overturned. In the North Bay fire zones, close to 3 inches of rain were expected to fall by the time the storm dissipates Tuesday, said Roger Gass, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“The way this system is coming in, pretty much everywhere is receiving rainfall,” Gass said, “It’s not really isolating one location
over another.”
A flash flood watch was in effect through 6 a.m. Tuesday for mountains and inland valleys in the North Bay, prompting concern that mudslides could occur in places made susceptible by the intense Northern California blazes that killed 44 people and destroyed 8,900 structures.
Crews planned to monitor the burned areas into the night, when the heaviest rainfall was anticipated, said Adriane Mertens, a spokeswoman for the city of Santa Rosa. Additional staff members were to be on call overnight if needed, she said.
In Santa Barbara County, evacuations were ordered for neighborhoods below canyons scorched by last month’s Thomas Fire. While no evacuations were anticipated in Santa Rosa, Mertens said, officials were in close contact with weather service forecasters.
In Santa Rosa, crews spent recent weeks clearing fire debris from storm water channels to reduce the risk of flooding, Mertens said.
Straw storm barriers known as wattles were installed on the blackened terrain to prevent mudslides from slamming into homes — particularly in the upscale and hilly Fountaingrove neighborhood of Santa Rosa, which was leveled almost completely by the Tubbs Fire.
“If you drive through the Fountaingrove area, you can see them all along the roadsides,” Mertens said.
Despite the potential for danger, the showers were welcomed by Bay Area residents as well as meteorologists. They represented a reprieve in an unusually dry season and improved the picture at Sierra ski resorts.
“Well, definitely after a December with record-breaking dry conditions, ranking in the top five driest Decembers, this definitely is a welcome sight, that’s for sure,” Gass said.
The storm was expected to bring the heaviest rains to coastal mountains, particularly south of the Bay Area in places like Big Sur, where the forecast called for up to 6 inches of precipitation. By Monday night, Big Sur had seen a little more than 4 inches of rain.
Mountains in Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties were expected to get up to 5 inches of rain, while inland peaks, including in the East Bay hills, should get about 3 inches, said Steve Anderson, a weather service meteorologist.
By Monday night, San Francisco had received 2.16 inches of rain. Oakland and San Jose were expected to get only slightly less, Anderson said.
Beyond the fire zones, authorities were watching for problems like local flooding and downed trees and power lines. A high-wind advisory was issued for the Bay Area through 6 a.m. Tuesday. South to southeast winds with gusts up to 30 to 40 mph were expected throughout the Bay Area.
The strong gusts could bring hazardous conditions to people driving to the Sierra on Tuesday, when the bulk of the storm will hit that area, said weather service meteorologist Mike Kochasic, who warned that motorists should bring tire chains.
Some of the highest mountain peaks, particularly those above 8,000 feet, could see up to 30 inches of snow, Kochasic said. Snow at 6,000 feet was expected to be lighter, with up to 5 inches accumulating.
“Some good skiing weather,” Kochasic said. “Just drive carefully out there. This is the first big storm of the season here.”