Be ready for snow, wind, rain this week

Drivers urged to be cautious on slick roads

The weather trifecta of wind, rain and snow will be putting on a show this week, with the first of it set to arrive on Tuesday, a local meteorologist said Sunday afternoon.

“We are going to have a pretty busy week of weather,” National Weather Service’s Jeff Tonkin said.

All the elements will be arriving in large doses: Forecasters are projecting one to two feet of snow at higher elevations, two to three inches of rain around Humboldt Bay and sustained winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour. The most powerful gusts could hit 45 miles per hour, Tonkin said.

“This is the first system that we have seen with a lot of snow,” he said. “None around Humboldt Bay, but a lot of interior winter snow at higher elevations.”

North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire warned residents of the district to be wary of the storm if they are traveling.

“A pretty good soaker — the biggest of the season — is expected to hit the North Bay and North Coast Tuesday thru Thursday.

1-3 inches of rain expected,” McGuire tweeted on Sunday.

Arcata Fire District urged drivers to be cautious driving because of slick roads on Monday.

“There have been numerous vehicle accidents, multi-vehicle accidents, and spin-outs, particularly on the bridges around Arcata and Glendale areas,” Battalion Chief Sean Campbell said in a news release.

Tonkin said the inundation of rain would not cause flooding of the Mad River or the Eel River.

But it could make it harder to pass some local roads. Tonkin said the rain could cause “minor flooding” in some areas such as King Salmon and Arcata Bottoms.

“There will be localized urban flooding, some ponding, some flooded streets,” he said.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesperson Deanna Contreras urged North Coast residents to be prepared for potential power outages.

The storm is expected to hit Tuesday and Wednesday. Then another round arrives Thursday night.

“We do expect another really good round of precipitation starting late Thursday,” Tonkin said. “This one looks like it will affect more of the southern areas.”

Around Eureka, the weather this week is expected to be in the 30s overnight and the high 40s and low 50s during the day. Willow Creek will see slightly lower overnight lows, with temperatures dipping into the high 20s at times. Garberville’s temperatures will be similar to those in the Willow Creek area.

For more up-to-date weather information, go to www.weather.gov/eureka.

RUTH SCHNEIDER — THE TIMES-STANDARD Tuluwat is seen at low tide over the weekend. The Humboldt Bay area will see high winds and several inches of rain this week. Inland areas at higher elevations have a chance to see more than a foot of snow this week.

CALTRANS — CONTRIBUTED Snow is seen at Berry Summit along state Route 299west of Willow Creek. More snow is on the way with a storm that could dump up to one to two feet in higher elevations.