In Sonoma County, lingering showers as storm moves out

The weekend’s deluge of wind and rain had dissipated by Monday morning, leaving in its wake lingering showers and forecasts for sunny skies to return to the North Coast this week, weather forecasters said.

The weather system should push out of the area Tuesday with skies clearing by afternoon and temperatures rising into the mid 50s, National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Mejia said.

A slight chance of rain was expected to return Thursday with a weak storm bringing a 20- to 30-percent chance of precipitation, Mejia said.

Winter has brought 37.28 inches of rain between Oct. 1 and Jan. 22 to Santa Rosa, close to double the 19.42 inches considered “normal” for the same duration, according to Mejia.

A flood warning remained in place Monday morning for Mark West Creek in the lowlands between the Sonoma County Charles M. Schulz Airport and the creek’s entry into the Russian River.

The flooded creek “is not going to come down sufficiently until the Russian River comes down,” Mark Strudley, hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said Monday. “It will remain high with moderate to minor flooding conditions for at least the next day.”

Trenton-Healdsburg Road was closed due to flooding, according to the Sonoma County roads department. Several roads shut down over the weekend by mud slides remained closed Monday, including Mill Creek Road just west of Healdsburg and Hot Springs Road in Cloverdale.

For updated information about Sonoma County road closures, visit http://roadconditions.sonoma-county.org/

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.