Marin rain totals top 4 inches as stormy week begins
The first round of a series of storms this week dumped more than 4 inches on parts of Marin County and caused flooding Monday along Highway 101.
The rain totals from the start of the storm Sunday into late Monday afternoon included 4.6 inches on Mount Tamalpais and 4.4 inches in Woodacre, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brayden Murdoch. Other rainfall totals for the period included 3.27 inches in Kentfield, 2.86 inches in San Rafael, 2.32 inches in Novato and 1.78 inches in Tiburon.
The exit from northbound Highway 101 to Highway 1 in Mill Valley was closed during much of the day Monday because of flooding and high tides, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency also reported flooding on Highway 101 near Lucky Drive in the area of Corte Madera and Larkspur.
The storm dropped the most rain on the North Bay and coastal mountains, said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mehle. A second storm is expected Tuesday.
“This storm door does remain open, and we’ve got another frontal passage that will bring additional rainfall Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we actually have a third system that’s going to round out the work week, Thursday to Friday, with additional rain chances,” Mehle said.
By Monday afternoon, San Jose had received an inch and a half of rain since the beginning of the storm Sunday, the National Weather Service reported. Oakland got just over an inch, while Livermore received an inch and San Francisco had 1.36 inches. The Santa Cruz Mountains received 2 inches, with some higher peaks surpassing 4 inches.
The second storm is forecast to touch down in the North Bay before spreading through the rest of the Bay Area around sunrise on Tuesday. The afternoon will have heavier, isolated showers, with totals projected to be between a half-inch and an inch across the region.
The storm Tuesday also brings a winter weather advisory for the eastern Santa Clara Hills lasting until Wednesday afternoon, due to snow at elevations over 3,000 and a potential dusting of snow below that. Snow is possible in the Diablo and Santa Cruz mountains as well, but accumulation is unlikely on Mount Tamalpais.
The storm arriving in the Bay Area on Thursday is expected to drop between one-quarter and three-quarter inches of rain across the region, mostly in scattered showers, the National Weather Service said.
Bay Area News Group contributed to this report