Rain a welcome guest for Thanksgiving weekend in Sonoma County(w/video)

It’s going to be a wet Thanksgiving weekend.

Storms will be moving in late Friday, bringing with them up to 5 inches of rainfall across much of the North Bay, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters urged travelers to prepare for what could be the wettest weekends of the year.

“It could be very wet road conditions all over Northern and Central California,” said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service based in Monterey.

He said the three storms are coming from the southern Gulf of Alaska and will compound, bringing moderate to heavy showers to the area through Tuesday.

The showers also will move into Southern California, likely by Sunday, he added.

The AccuWeather forecast calls for showers to begin Thursday night in Sonoma County with a little rain Friday and periods of rain Saturday.

The CHP is warning drivers to slow down and buckle up as they head out for one of the busiest travel weekends. The agency will beef up its patrol beginning Wednesday evening, according to CHP spokesman Officer Jon Sloat.

“We’ll have extra officers on the road, looking particularly for DUIs,” he said.

Sloat said 33 people were killed in wrecks around the state during the Thanksgiving weekend last year. Half of them involved someone driving under the influence, he added.

Although none of the fatalities were in Sonoma County, he said an average of 30 to 35 people are busted for a DUI during the holiday weekend. That’s double what they normally see at other times of the year, Sloat added.

With gas prices continuing to slide, he expects more people will crowd the roads this holiday compared to previous years.

“With more people on the road, we’re going to be paying more attention,” Sloat said.

An estimated 5.6 million Californians will be traveling for Thanksgiving, according to AAA. That’s an increase of 4 percent from last year.

Those traveling to Sonoma County early will get to enjoy at least two days of dry weather.

Wednesday is expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching near the 70s, Benjamin said. Thanksgiving will be slightly cooler with temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s.

It was welcome news for Lisa Archdale, who is visiting from Seattle.

She and her husband and 6-year-old son arrived at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport on Tuesday evening They planned to celebrate Thanksgiving with her husband’s family in Petaluma, but also hoped to explore the county before heading back home Saturday.

They boarded a Tuesday flight to avoid the Thanksgiving travel rush, Archdale said. The warm weather expected Wednesday is a bonus.

“We’re very excited for that,” she said about the sunny forecast. She said Seattle was misty when she left.

Still, she said she wouldn’t mind rainfall on her trip here.

“I hear you really need it,” she added.

Jeff Villafana, a senior at Sonoma State University, was getting ready to board a plane to visit his family in Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. He planned to return on Sunday, but didn’t mind being met with heavy showers.

“I love the rain,” he said. “I’m from Los Angeles.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com.