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The calm before the storm


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For the past two days everyone I know in Northern California has been talking about the storm that's due to hit us later tonight. Everything is calm now, but several inches of rain are expected to fall between now and Friday, plus at least a couple feet of snow in the Sierras. Wind gusts of 50-75 mph are expected in various areas. Right now the NOAA buoy 18 miles due west is registering 29 knot gusts and 10 foot waves, with 20 foot waves are predicted for mid-day Thursday. People are being told to stay off the beaches. SF schools are closed tomorrow.

 

We had a rainstorm a week or two ago that dumped more rain in California than we had all the previous year. As a result the ground is saturated and another 2-4 inches of rain will probably cause flooding and mudslides. Keep an eye on the news to see if we get washed into the ocean.

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O my...

 

...this sounds intense.

 

We'll have to see if "intense" is relative. I have a feeling other parts of the world get weather like this all the time. We're just not used to it here.

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Okay, the storm began late last night but so far it's just a rainstorm. Pouring rain, a little wind, but certainly not "The Storm of the Century" as the news agencies were calling it. They do say the worst will hit in the next six hours or so, but so far it's no big deal.
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Okay, the storm began late last night but so far it's just a rainstorm. Pouring rain, a little wind, but certainly not "The Storm of the Century" as the news agencies were calling it. They do say the worst will hit in the next six hours or so, but so far it's no big deal.

Any updates? Are you still finding the storm to be a bit over blown by the media?
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It's still raining, but it's gone from pouring hard to just raining. Thankfully, we seem to have been spared from the hurricane-force winds, at least around here. But we are starting to see lots of damage and flooding. One highway a few miles south of San Francisco is closed due to floods, and there are a lot of flooded intersections in low-lying places—our storm drains can't take this much water at one time. There are power outages in various places in the Bay Area. A friend that lives in the mountains 59-60 miles south of here posted that they received 2 inches of rain in the last hour, and the winds are getting scary.

 

I've become a total weather nerd around this storm, watching government weather sites, offshore buoys, and NOAA reports. This site has great info: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/

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Oh, here's another site that describes the "atmospheric river" that is now hitting us: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/12/11/what-is-this-atmospheric-river-that-is-flooding-california/

 

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/files/2014/12/Atmos_River.jpg

 

(There's more info in the article.)

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Wow, so the drought is over huh?

 

Hope things stay under control for you!

Its just weather don't get too excited. Where is rushman btw?... :LOL:
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Wow, so the drought is over huh?

 

Hope things stay under control for you!

 

Thanks! But actually the drought isn't over yet. We will need a full winter of rain and snow in order to refill our reservoirs and aquifers. The storms we've been having are pretty warm and we don't yet have much snow in the Sierras (most of our water comes from snowpack). Currently, the snowpack (snow water equivalent) is at 32% of normal and most major reservoirs are only 20-30% full. I'm pretty sure that we're still below average in season-to-date precipitation, although I can't seem to find data on that.

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Wow, so the drought is over huh?

 

Hope things stay under control for you!

 

Thanks! But actually the drought isn't over yet. We will need a full winter of rain and snow in order to refill our reservoirs and aquifers. The storms we've been having are pretty warm and we don't yet have much snow in the Sierras (most of our water comes from snowpack). Currently, the snowpack (snow water equivalent) is at 32% of normal and most major reservoirs are only 20-30% full. I'm pretty sure that we're still below average in season-to-date precipitation, although I can't seem to find data on that.

 

Stay safe!

 

At least some rain has arrived. Good or bad for some down there but you guy's need it!

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The news says an inch of rain an hour and 140 mph winds. I know there are a few TRF people up there, Hope you guys are okay.

 

We never actually got the high winds here in the Bay Area, and I haven't heard of them elsewhere in the state with the exception of one 100 mph+ reading in the Sierras. Most places in Northern California got 3-4 inches of rain total yesterday, although there were a few isolated areas that received 7-10 inches. Many areas were hit with flooding and power outages.

 

The storm has now moved to Southern California and I just got word that my best friend's mother's house was damaged in a mudslide, and they might lose the whole thing :(

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It appears that living in such a beautiful state can have its drawbacks at times. Checking the news there appears to be some mess going on for sure. Continued best of luck...
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