Sonoma County to get a break in rainfor holiday (w/video)

Although more rainfall is expected to move in later this week, Sonoma County residents should get a break from all the showers and gray skies just in time for Christmas.

“(A) ridge of high pressure will force storms to go farther north, keeping rain away,” said Austin Cross, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Monterey.

Santa Rosa saw just over 2 inches of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Tuesday. An additional half-inch of rain is expected when showers roll in late Thursday, Cross said. But, he added, the rain should clear out by Friday and remain dry at least until the holiday.

So far, December has brought about 12.5 inches of rain, four times the normal average for this time of month, Cross said.

With the soil this saturated, he said any additional rainfall can trigger more mudslides and flooding. The National Weather Service issued a warning Tuesday of possible floods in most of the Bay Area.