Rain should help with wildfires
Firefighters battling wildfires in the North Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains were set to receive an assist from Mother Nature late Thursday night, as a storm system was expected to move across the region and deliver as much as three-quarters of an inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service in Monterey.
Moving south from the Pacific Northwest, the system was forecast to arrive in the North Bay between 10 p.m. and midnight, said Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the weather service.
The system could deliver anywhere from two-tenths to threequarters of an inch of rain in the North Bay, where multiple wildfires are still burning, and up to onequarter of an inch in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the Bear fire is burning east of Boulder Creek.
Cal Fire said it expects weather conditions, including the forecast of light rain, to help firefighters as they work to contain the blazes.
“This will definitely help the firefighting community and help fight the fires in the North Bay and the Bear fire as well,” said Brian Mejia, a meteorologist with the weather service. “We’re hoping for enough rain for them to be put out. Any rain we get is welcomed.”
The entire Bay Area is expected to receive some rainfall, though cities farther south will see the lowest totals. Anderson said San Jose may be limited to a few hundredths of an inch.
Rainfall is expected to end by Friday. Next week, a ridge of high pressure is forecast to build over Northern California and serve as a barrier to any potential storm systems, Mejia said. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday may soar into the upper 80s.
“After this, I don’t see any rain in the foreseeable future,” Mejia said.