Santa Rosa has a new rainfall record for the February 1st date. Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport recorded one-point-six-one inches of rain on Saturday.
The previous record for the date was 73-hundredths of an inch, set in 2019. Santa Rosa had received another half inch of rain by two o’clock Sunday afternoon.
More of the same is expected as the North Bay is in for a wet week. The National Weather Service is calling for two storms to collectively bring five-and-a-half inches of rain to the valleys and up to eight inches of rain to the mountains.
The heaviest period of rain is expected to last through early tomorrow. Forecasters say moderate to heavy rain should start at about 10 or 11 a.m. This storm alone is expected to bring two to four inches of rain to the region in the lower elevations and up to six inches of rain to the higher elevations.
Officials are monitoring Mark West and Green Valley creeks on the west side of Santa Rosa and Sonoma Creek near Kenwood, which are overflowing from the weekend rain. A flood watch will be in place from four o’clock this afternoon to four o’clock Wednesday morning.
The region is also facing more hazards this week beyond rain and flooding. Forecasters are calling for strong wind gusts, especially on Tuesday.
The coast and interior mountains could see gusts of up to 40-miles-per-hour, with wind speeds possibly stronger in the valleys. The wind is expected to be the strongest between the peaks of the two rounds of rain hitting the North Bay this week. That will likely be between late Tuesday night and late Wednesday night.
For today, Santa Rosa is facing wind gusts as strong as about 30-miles-per-hour. The North Bay could also see freezing temperatures after the rain stops later this week. Santa Rosa could see lows between 30 and 32 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Lows are currently in the 40s and 50s, but forecasters say they will start falling on Wednesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the 50s through the weekend.