Another doozy of a drenching today

The National Weather Service promised the North Bay a Presidents Day storm, and boy will it get one.

Up to 3 inches of rain are expected to fall in Santa Rosa from today into early Tuesday morning, with a flood watch in effect for that time period, too. The North Bay can blame the return of wet weather on an atmospheric river that moved almost gently into the North Bay on Saturday, with nothing more than a moody drizzle to show for itself through Sunday.

But early today that same narrow corridor of concentrated moisture was expected to cause a number of major problems, as the region prepares for the storm to barrel through and continue into Tuesday.

The latest weather models show the coastal hills of Sonoma County getting as much as 6 inches of rain by then, with about 3 inches falling in Santa Rosa, said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

Sonoma County is also under a high wind warning and wind advisory, which will last from 1 p.m. today to 3 a.m. Tuesday, with 25- to 35-mph winds gusting up to 60 mph this afternoon.

The first heavy rainfall in Sonoma County is expected to begin early this morning, with a second punch coming this afternoon, which could cause widespread urban and small-stream flooding, dangerous driving conditions, downed trees and mudslides.

“I’d just advise people to stay home if they don’t need to go out anywhere,” said CHP Patrol Sgt. Andrew Henkens.

“Watch your speed and give yourself plenty of time getting where you need to go.”

In Guerneville, the Russian River is projected to crest at 34.2 feet Tuesday afternoon. Flood stage there is 32 feet.

“Those places that have had problems are going to have problems again,” Benjamin said.

The rain Sunday made for slick roads and may have played a role in a minivan flipping and crashing on Fountaingrove Parkway in Santa Rosa.

In Cloverdale, which is hosting its 125th annual Citrus Fair that runs through today, just 0.85 inches of rain fell, not nearly enough to keep people away.

Attendance was significantly less than it was Saturday, however, when crowds packed the fair taking in the last bit of sunshine the North Bay could see until Wednesday or Thursday.

The CHP handled only about five weather-related crashes Sunday, said Henkens, none of them resulting in injuries, he said.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said the series of back-to-back storms in the past two months have caused a constant preparedness for the kind of flooding and damage this Presidents Day weekend storm could bring.

“We’re always ready,” he said. “We make sure all the trucks are full of fuel, that the saws are sharp. I’m just hoping it’s not as bad as they’re saying it’s going to be.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.