Wet Weather Expected In SF Bay Area, Forecast Predicts Storm In California During Christmas

The Bay Area is expected to experience a prolonged wet period starting from Sunday until Friday, December 22.The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center has issued a hazard outlook and map indicating that parts of California could receive heavy precipitation in the form of rain and snow from December 21 to 27.

High pressure is expected to break down, and low-pressure systems will pass through, bringing wet conditions. The first chance for rain is likely to come on Sunday night with a storm from the Gulf of Alaska. It is expected that the jet stream, which has been bringing rainy systems to the Pacific Northwest, will continue into California.

The agency also focused on the three-day period from Christmas Day to December 27, when there is a 40% to 60% chance of heavy precipitation in Central California, specifically the coastline from San Francisco to the California-Mexico border. There is also a 40% to 60% chance of heavy snow in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Tahoe Basin.

The Bay Area saw flooding from excessive rains last winter, so this is not the complete atmospheric river scenario we had in January of last year. Following the storm on Sunday and Monday, the region may be affected by a second system on Tuesday night into Wednesday, and maybe another on Friday. It is too early to determine rainfall totals, but with the first system, many spots around the Bay Area could pick up one inch of rain or more. By later in the week, some spots could record up to three inches of rain.

David Roth, a weather service meteorologist, said the outlook suggests that California could see a significant storm over Christmas, with the moisture plume associated with it more likely to be focused to the south. The wet weather is expected to arrive in California amid a potential shift in the jet stream, which are winds high in the atmosphere that help transport storms.