Floods are forecast in the Bay Area. Are any near you?
As a series of storms continues to pummel California, the National Weather Service is warning of possible floods that are expected to hit Bay Area rivers and creeks in the coming days.
Currently two water bodies are forecast to flood by Monday. The Russian River at Guerneville is forecast to reach a peak of 36 feet by noon on Monday. That forecast is 4 feet above the level that triggers flooding, and threatens many nearby homes, RV parks and local businesses. A more modest flood is also expected at Alameda Creek outside of Sunol where the water level is expected to scrape flood levels at 2 a.m. Friday with more flooding possible next week.
The San Lorenzo River near Santa Cruz and the Big Sur River are also forecast to be in an “action” stage Monday evening, which means that sudden flooding is possible.
To see which Bay Area water bodies are forecast to flood, scroll over the map below. Click on the dots to see the water body’s names, when it is expected to peak, and the forecasted water level high. Double click, or click the plus sign at the top right to zoom in. Click the minus sign to zoom out. Areas that are not expected to flood, or where inadequate data is available, are colored in blue.
The forecasted floods are being fueled by torrential rain, which has dumped several inches of water throughout the Bay Area in the last three days. Marin, Santa Cruz, and Napa are among the hardest-hit counties.
Click on the dots below to see how much precipitation was recorded at one of the Bay Area’s monitoring stations in the last three days. Double click, or click the plus sign, at the top right to zoom in. Click the minus sign to zoom out. Dots that are yellow or orange reported relatively less precipitation. Dots that are red reported higher amounts of relative precipitation.
Check back for updates.