‘Outrageous’ rainfall possible in Big Sur

The storm fluctuated as it approached the Bay Area this morning, with some early rain bands starting to fall about an hour later than yesterday’s forecast for the timing of the initial rain bands. But the abundance of these protocells off the coast is also an indicator of a healthy storm. This means the Bay Area will begin to see more widespread rain and wind as severe weather conditions increase over the next 60 to 90 minutes.

Sandbags will be available for pickup until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the city’s corporate lot at 1326 Allston Way. People must bring an ID or business card.

How to find a warming center in Santa Clara County

The county said it is also securing additional after-hours shelter beds for unhoused community members. Those in need of overnight shelter can call 408-385-2400, call the City of San Jose Overnight Shelter Referral Hotline at 408-539-2105, or email them at outreach@homefirstscc.org

Newsom declares a state of emergency in four Bay Area counties due to storms

A state of emergency has also been imposed in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Mendocino, Merced, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Yuba counties.

Last week, Newsom declared a state of emergency in 13 counties due to winter storms: Sonoma, Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra and Tulare.

Pineapple expresses severe weather in the coming week

The Pineapple Express-fueled storm will bring a series of severe weather impacts to the Bay Area, including rounds of heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms and flooding. These effects will reach their peak during the night hours of Thursday and Friday. Conditions will begin to improve by Friday morning as the storm subsides, leaving light rain across the region through the weekend.

But another storm system will approach Northern California starting Sunday night. This system will tap into the Pineapple Express and spark another round of severe weather across the Bay Area on Monday and Tuesday. Weather models will begin to reveal details surrounding next week’s storm with high-resolution simulations, including thunderstorm intensity, winds and precipitation.

For now, it looks like next week’s storm will bring similar impacts to the Bay Area, including the risk of more river flooding in the North Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains.

Officials said park conditions will determine whether the parks reopen Monday. The parks are: Junipero Serra Park in San Bruno, Huddart Wunderlich Park in Woodside, Quarry Park in El Granada, Loma Mar Memorial Park, and Pescadero and San MacDonald parks. The Upper Knoll and Eucalyptus Conservation Areas at Coyote Point Recreation Area in San Mateo are closed, but the park, beach and Magic Mountain will remain open. These parks have a “significant number” of downed trees, trail damage, mud and road slides, officials said, from storms in January.

South Lake Tahoe issues emergency declaration ahead of storm

Sandbags are available to San Francisco residents and business owners

The San Francisco Department of Public Works said it is providing residents and business owners with up to 10 free sandbags before and during the storm. Sandbags will be available for pickup until 5pm at the department’s operations yard at Marine and Kansas Streets. Proof of address is required.

The data comes from the National Weather Service and is updated hourly throughout the storm event to reflect the latest notifications. See all the latest weather notifications here.

Satellite images of the Gulf region show approaching rain

Satellite images capture the full extent of the storm cloud surface this morning, with its eastern side lying just a few miles off the coast of Half Moon Bay as of 8 a.m. The first round of strong winds and heavy rain will begin rolling in by 10 a.m. and then spread across the rest of Bay Area during the rest of the morning.

The National Weather Service said the gusty winds expected to hit Monterey Bay have the potential to reduce visibility and capsize or damage ships. The storm warning will go into effect at 3pm Thursday until 9am Friday. Boaters could see south winds of up to 35 mph with gusts of 51 mph, the weather service said. “Seafarers must change their plans to avoid these dangerous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe haven, change course and/or secure the vessel in extreme conditions.

Storm closes Muir Woods

Muir Woods National Monument will be closed Thursday and Friday in anticipation of severe weather conditions, park officials tweeted Thursday. Park officials plan to evaluate the park on Saturday and may reopen it that day at 10 a.m

Some Bay Area residents woke up to light rain Thursday morning and expect heavy rain late in the morning to early afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

“That’s when we start to have some concerns about street and creek flooding, and then the flood concerns will continue into next week with another round of rain early next week,” said Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Weather models indicate an early start to Thursday’s winds, with winds expected to reach 35 to 45 mph along the coast right around sunrise. These winds will blow from the southwest, bringing rain from the Pineapple Express storm. Rain will begin after 7 a.m. on the beaches of Sonoma, Marin and San Mateo counties while winds blow stronger throughout the morning.

Winds will continue to pick up along the coast after 10 a.m., gusting to 50 mph on the west side of San Francisco and on beaches from Sonoma County to Santa Cruz County. Winds across the broader Bay Area will also begin to gust between 35 and 45 mph, as rain showers begin to spread across Northern California.

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The North Bay Highlands and Santa Cruz Mountains will see a slight uptick in precipitation after 10 a.m., then heavy rain is likely throughout the rest of the day.

Heavy rain will also spread to San Francisco, Oakland, and the inland valleys of the North Bay and East Bay.

Urban flooding will be possible along highway ramps and low lying highways, along with ponding.

evening:

The heavy rain will be accompanied by a chance of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and hail this afternoon.

Rush hour commuting can be difficult, as the strongest rain and wind bands affect cities along the San Francisco Bay.

In most of the Bay Area, the rain and wind won’t let up tonight, so plan for a windy Thursday night if you have to get out.

Go here to read the full forecast with Bay Area details.