© Paul Chinn, The ChroniclePedestrians cross California Street the rain in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. The Bay Area is getting doused this weekend in one of the biggest storms in over a year.
The rain was expected to continue through the weekend, with another burst of showers Saturday night through Sunday, but then drying out by Monday.
While rainfall totals will not be complete until the storm ends, National Weather Service forecasters said San Francisco received just under an inch of rain in the 24 hours ending 4 p.m. Saturday for a total of 1.92 inches since the storm began on Thursday.
The three-day total topped 11 inches at MountTamalpais with rain expected through Monday morning, said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the weather service. Rains could be heavy at times in the North Bay, he said, but should be light to moderate in the East Bay and on the Peninsula.
Weather service officials issued a flood warning Saturday afternoon for parts of Petaluma and Rohnert Park that was expected to last through the evening. An urban and small stream flood advisory continued for cities in Marin County, including Sausalito, San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley and San Anselmo. The warning was lifted Saturday night as creeks receded but with more rain on the way, meteorologists were keeping a watch on the North Bay.
Rainfall totals were also significant elsewhere in the Bay Area. In Saint Helena, 5.84 inches were recorded over 24 hours with 3.2 inches in Santa Rosa. San Francisco received .89 of an inch while St. Mary's College in Moraga measured 1.84 inches and Oakland International Airport recorded .41 of an inch. Rainfall was considerably lighter on the Peninsula and in the South Bay with .08 of an inch in San Jose, .04 of an inch in Palo Alto and .37 of an inch in Redwood City. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, Ben Lomond recorded 3.57 inches.
But despite the welcome wetness, the system isn't likely to have a significant impact on the state's drought conditions.
"Everything helps, and it's going to take a little bite out of the drought," said Mark Strudley, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. "But if we're going to get anywhere back to normal, we would need unrealistic rainfall totals for the rest of the season."
Forecasters expect Monday and Tuesday to be dry with another storm system moving down from the Pacific Northwest - possibly south to the Golden Gate - on Wednesday.
"There are chances of some rain in the city," Benjamin said, "but it's still pretty far off."
At SFO, airport duty manager Bob Rotiski said the inclement weather requires a reduction of runway use, leading to flight cancellations and delays of up to two hours.
By early Saturday evening, 82 flights had been canceled - 42 arrivals and 40 departures, according to airport duty manager Joseph Walsh. He said most delays were in the 30-to-90-minute range and that more cancellations are possible.
Snowfall in the Sierra was already considered among the most significant of the season.
About 23.5 inches of snow had been reported from Thursday night through Saturday morning in Kingvale (Placer County), which has an elevation of more than 6,000 feet, said National Weather Service meteorologist Darren Van Cleave.
The U.S. Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center issued a 24-hour "high" avalanche warning Saturday at 7 a.m. for slopes 32 degrees and steeper.
The National Weather Service in Reno's forecast office put out a flood watch alert in the Lake Tahoe region, which is expected to last from 4 p.m. Saturday through Sunday afternoon.
Meteorologist Scott McGuire said as much as 2to 4feet of snow could fall at elevations above 8,000 feet in the mountains.
While the rain created slick conditions, California Highway Patrol officials reported spinouts and ramp flooding, but no significant problems.
Part of Highway 17 in Los Gatos was temporarily closed after a solo rollover crash at around 10:40 a.m. Saturday, but CHP Officer Ron Simmons said it wasn't clear if rain caused the crash. No major injuries were reported.
In the North Bay, where the flash-flood warning was issued, the Rohnert Park Expressway was closed Saturday between Stony Point Road and Rancho Verde Drive due to flooding, according to Rohnert Park police officials.
As of Saturday night, chains were required on both I-80 and Highway 50 leading to and from the Sierra ski areas.
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