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© Genevieve BookwalterA runner takes advantage of a break in the rain on Twin Lakes Beach on Monday.
Heavy rains should ramp up Tuesday night and continue through the following Monday as Santa Cruz County returns to more seasonal weather after a few weeks of sunshine.

"The best is yet to come," joked Diane Henderson, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

After Monday's showers dropped nearly a quarter-inch of rain on Santa Cruz County, Henderson said another system should roll in today and bring a 90 percent chance of rain with it.

Tonight's storms should be heavy at times, Henderson said, and dwindle to showers by Wednesday evening. Rain is expected to continue off and on throughout the weekend and into Monday's Presidents Day holiday.

Winds should be "not extremely gusty," Henderson said, reaching 10-20 mph around the coast. High temperatures are expected to reach the upper 50s with lows in the low 40s to high 30s.

"People are going to drive fast, whether we warn them to or not; they're going to forget their umbrella - pretty much normal stuff," Henderson said. "They'll be cursing the rain and wanting good weather back."

However, "by and large, we're all pretty happy it doesn't snow here," Henderson said. "There's not much more you can ask than that."

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