Storm brings steady rainfall to North Bay

The first in what is expected to be a series of at least three storms to strike over the next two weeks brought close to 5 inches of rain to parts of the North Bay overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning, officials said.

In a span of about 12 hours, the Russian River rose between 5 and 6 feet: cresting to 12 feet in Guerneville, 7.5 feet in Healdsburg and 9 feet in Cloverdale, according to U.S. Geological Survey gauges.

Another storm was expected to blow into the area Tuesday night, with significant amounts of rain falling overnight and into this morning, potentially impacting morning commuters, said Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The storms are the first that forecasters have said bear an “El Niño signature,” coming in from the mid-Pacific instead of the Gulf of Alaska. In all, the system is expected to bring about 10 inches of rain to the North Bay through next week.

From Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, 4.64 inches of rain fell in the hills north of Guerneville, the NWS said, and 2.24 inches fell in Monte Rio.

In Santa Rosa, 1.26 inches of rain fell, according to AccuWeather, and 1.05 inches fell in Ukiah. In Lakeport, half an inch to 1 inch fell.

That still leaves the North Bay at just 67 percent of what is considered a normal amount of precipitation for this time of year. By this date in 2015, Santa Rosa had already had 18.55 inches of rain. So far this season, just 10.31 inches of rain has fallen.

Two to 3 more inches is expected to fall by this afternoon, Canepa said, and the NWS has issued flash-flood warnings for much of the North Coast.

No serious damage was reported in the North Bay Tuesday, though public works employees continue to keep a steady eye out for falling trees and mudslides brought on by rain-soaked ground and drought-weary root systems.

In Sonoma County, storm-related issues were relatively minor with a few falling trees and mudslides creating temporary problems early Tuesday. Right around 1:30 p.m., a large tree crashed into the dining room of a Sebastopol home in the 400 block of Parquet Street. No one was injured, but Tim Vassele, who rents the home with his girlfriend and daughter, said that it caused at least $50,000 in damage.

Vassele was in the kitchen when the tree uprooted itself; his girlfriend and daughter were in the daughter's room.

“It sounded like lightning hitting the tree,” he said. “It shook us all up pretty good.”

In Monte Rio, a hillside home threatened by a failing retaining wall was holding Tuesday afternoon, according to Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman, who returned for another look at the Monte Vista Terrace home.

The CHP in Sonoma County reported no major crashes into Tuesday night, but CHP Officer Jon Sloat used the messy forecast to remind drivers to reduce their speed and increase the space between themselves and the vehicle ahead. “One car length is not enough in an emergency even in the best conditions, and that is how far most people seem to follow,” he wrote in a text message.

Staff Writers Randi Rossmann and Glenda Anderson contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com.