North Bay to get first significant rain of the season

Sonoma County is in for rain this weekend, and depending on when you read this story, it might have already begun.

Forecasters are expecting rain to start in the wee hours this morning, turning to showers until Saturday afternoon.

That will signal the beginning of a small break, before another front moves in Sunday afternoon, said Carolina Walbrun, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. In all, up to 1 inch could fall in the hills, with half an inch in lower elevations.

Also, daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, and people are reminded to set their clocks back an hour or risk being uncomfortably early ?to work.

In fire-ravaged Sonoma County, forecasters don’t expect it to be enough to cause concern about debris flows, but people should remain aware.

“The soils are hydrophobic; they won’t be absorbing the moisture as they did prior to the burns,” she said. “It (fire) almost creates a layer where the water just runs off.”

Temperatures are expected to drop, too, with highs in the lower 60s and overnight lows reaching into the mid-30s over the weekend.

By Monday, things should dry out.

Another storm could be on the way next week, but forecasting models don’t agree on how much rain will fall and where; it’s still too early to predict, Walbrun said.Aperenis