After overnight rains Sunday, outlook is mostly dry
MONTEREY >> About a quarter of an inch of rain was set to fall on San Jose overnight Sunday as a storm system from the central coast made its way north toward the Bay Area, the National Weather Service says.
But after the rain dissipates by this morning, meteorologist Cindy Palmer said she expects dry conditions and seasonable temperatures right around normal as we go up to end of the year, with a potential for light showers coming New Year’s Eve.
Palmer said the system will bring widespread rain primarily in the southern portion of the forecast area, which is mostly over Monterey County, where the Dolan fire burn scar — a burned area of about 200 square miles — could see significant rainfall.
It likely won’t be enough to cause any debris flow, Palmer added, though forecasters are still keeping a close eye on rain totals. The heaviest rain should fall between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. in those areas.
“Right now we’re not anticipating the potential for any debris flow as rainfall rates will not be strong enough,” Palmer said. “The further north you go, the less precipitation you’re likely to get.”
Palmer said rain is also not likely to impact the CZU fire burn scar, which encompasses about 85,000 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains, as just about a half-inch to three- quarters of an inch of rain is set to fall. Residents there are still preparing for potential slides.
The Bay Area will remain relatively dry in comparison to its coastal neighbors, with the South Bay getting the bulk of rainfall, with about a quarter-inch predicted for San Jose, and maybe about a tenth of an inch of rain in the North Bay “if they’re lucky,” Palmer said.
After this system f lows through the area, the next potential rain could come Wednesday night into Thursday morning, but Palmer said it is a weak system.
“They will be just a couple of quick hitting systems, so we’re not expecting a lot of rain from them,” Palmer said. “In San Jose, you’ll get a little of it.”‘
Forecasters say temperatures will dip down towards the mid-30s this morning. The rest of the week, forecasters say, daytime highs will consistently range between the low 50s to low 60s with Tuesday, Friday and Saturday being on the warmer end of that spectrum.
Overnight lows will vary from the low 30s to mid- 40s with Tuesday and Wednesday morning being the chilliest. Some areas may drop into the 27 to 29-degree range on those days “with areas of frost as a bonus,” forecasters say.