Between Tuesday and Thursday of next week, the first major atmospheric river of the season is expected to arrive in the Bay Area, a storm that will bring up to five centimeters of rain from El Marin County to Santa Cruz, reported the National Metereological Service.
The expected storm follows a low pressure system that is coming from the Gulf of Alaska, and is expected to move down the West Coast, as part of an active and progressive pattern that could last until the middle of the month.
“Some of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Sonoma Coast could receive even more (rainfall),” said NWS meteorologist Dalton Behringer. “It looks like it's going to hit everyone, even down south like Big Sur and the Central Coast.”
This meteorological phenomenon will occur within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2023 conference, which will take place from November 11 to 17 in San Francisco, which could be affected by the weather, bringing interruptions in the traffic and public transportation as world leaders gather in the city for the high-security event.
As we see the cold and snow season approaching, the atmospheric river is expected to drop abundant snow in the Sierra Nevada, although there are no guarantees of this yet.
Climate change can make these deluges up to 37 percent wetter, according to a June 2022 study by Bay Area climate scientists.
Behringer assures that exactly what is coming cannot be prevented, but for now widespread flooding is not expected from this storm; and although there is an active pattern in the atmosphere, it is not certain that other storms will continue in the same way.
“We can say things are coming, but it's almost impossible to pin down the details of exactly how strong they will be or where they will be established,” Behringer said. “But this will be the first big event of the season.”
Given this, the meteorologist advises Californians to pay close attention to weather reports as the storm progresses, and to prepare their homes for what could be the first of many storms throughout the Bay Area this fall and winter .
“Staying up to date with the forecast right now is the best preparation you can do,” Behringer said. “We're still putting the finishing touches on the changes to the forecast,” but it's important to stay informed.
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