Storm's first wave a dud

Delayed but mighty, today's storm is expected to strike with the force that had been promised for Saturday.

The intermittent rainstorms Saturday were the first -- and weakest -- band of a powerful system.

"It's all piling in on the state," said Rick Canepa, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "From Eureka to the Central Coast, it's going to hit everywhere."

"Soaking rain in downpours" can be expected through most of the morning, tapering off in the evening. Wind gusts in excess of 45 mph are expected to blow through the area, and ocean swells could reach 26 feet.

Hannah Waterbury, 18, of Jenner said her family had put away extra food and water in preparation for potential power outages and road closures.

On Saturday afternoon the storm didn't appear to do much damage, but Waterbury wasn't fooled.

"I guess it's going to be pretty bad," she said.

The National Weather Service's hazardous weather advisory warned of sustained wind of 24 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph along the coast and in the hills. The wind warning is in effect for the entire Bay Area and Monterey Bay.

If rain persists through the weekend, there could be flooding along small streams and creeks as well as in urban areas prone to flooding.

No flooding was reported late Saturday.

While Saturday's storm was not as powerful as feared, there still were consequences from high winds.

About 900 North Coast homes were without power Saturday because of storm-related problems, said PG&E spokesman JD Guidi.

In Fort Ross, 220 homes were cut from the grid when storms blew down wires. In Santa Rosa, 300 homes were without power Saturday night in three different outages. PG&E was investigating those causes.

PG&E is also investigating an outage in Ukiah that left 330 customers without power Saturday night.

All power was expected to be restored early this morning, Guidi said.

Rainfall through 4 p.m. Saturday was 0.24 inches in Santa Rosa; Lakeport, with 0.56 inches, recorded the most rain in the area.

North Coast residents likely will be prepared for today's storm. From Bodega Bay to Cazadero, stores reported brisk sales in candles, tarps, firewood, batteries and flashlights Saturday.

In Cazadero, Sonoma County's rainfall epicenter, it was mostly calm as the storm drifted into the redwood-covered hills.

"It rained really hard for a half hour and the lights kinda flickered, but this isn't much of anything," said Avery Ocasa, Cazadero General Store clerk.

Stopping by for a gallon of milk, Lauren Barry said he wasn't worried either. He doubted the power would go out, but lit his wood stove Saturday morning to stay warm "just in case."

"Up here, we thrive on redwoods and rain," he said.

You can reach Staff Writers Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat

.com and Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@

pressdemocrat.com.