Marin weather: More rain, rough surf in forecast
Another round of wet winter weather will close out the Christmas holiday week, bringing more than 2 inches of rain to parts of Marin as well as chilly temperatures and surging coastal waves, according to the National Weather Service.
“The system that is moving through Thursday night is going to produce more rain than what happened in the last 72 hours,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist for the agency. “It’ll be all through the night and likely last until after Friday.”
Gass said up to 2.5 inches of rain could drop on Mount Tamalpais during the weekend. Along the coast and in southern Marin, the rain forecast is about 1.3 inches. In San Rafael and Novato, approximately an inch is expected.
Overnight temperatures in the low 50s are in the forecast, with daytime highs barely creeping above 60 degrees. The weather service expects winds to be mild, with only the strongest high-elevation gusts reaching 25 mph.
Between Monday and Thursday evenings, Mt. Tamalpais had 2.34 inches of rain, Gass said. Mill Valley had 1.66 inches; San Rafael, 0.58 inches; Novato, 0.60 inches; and Point Reyes Station, 1.31 inches.
“Before it was a weak atmospheric river, nothing too extreme,” Gass said. “That’s why it wasn’t too strong. Most of it has been beneficial rain. This one is stronger, though not dramatically.”
“We always just recommend folks not drive through flooded roadways,” he said. “Even if there are no road closures, just remember to not drive through flooded roadways.”
The weather in recent days caused no major crashes in Marin, said Officer Darrel Horner of the California Highway Patrol.
“We just ask for people to continue to drive safely, exercise extra caution during inclement weather, be prepared for changing conditions, plan ahead and know alternative routes,” Horner said.
A high surf advisory is in effect through the weekend, with breaking waves between 20 and 30 feet, Gass said.
The advisory is a lower level than the one before Christmas, a period when rough surf battered the coast and damaged structures such as the Santa Cruz Wharf.
“The system we had on Monday was more of a rare case,” Gass said. “But this, folks should be aware of.”
Surfline.com, which provides surf results and forecasts, is projecting waves of 15 to 20 feet in the Point Reyes National Seashore area, 4 to 6 feet in Bolinas and 8 to 12 feet around Dillon Beach.
According to the Marin Municipal Water District, Lake Lagunitas has received 25.44 inches since July 1, well above the year-to-date average of 17.28. By the same time year, 14.07 inches had fallen.
The district’s seven reservoirs — Alpine, Bon Tempe, Kent, Lagunitas, Nicasio, Phoenix and Soulajule Reservoirs — were at 97.68% capacity as of Wednesday, with 77,720 acre-feet of storage. The volume was 136.31% of the average for the date.
An acre-foot is approximately 326,000 gallons, or enough to cover an acre about 12 inches deep.