More rain on the way

With more rain in the forecast, CalTrans officials are taking precautions to avoid repeat flooding on the highway construction project between Santa Rosa and Windsor.

The cloudbursts on Sunday saturated portions of the Highway 101 widening job and caused minor flooding in the lanes closest to the median.

CalTrans spokesman Robert Haus said Monday that the drainage inlets had been covered while excavation and subgrading work was being done. When the unexpected heavy rains hit, it led to flooding.

?It rained real hard, real fast. The intensity of the downpour was pretty significant,? he said. ?It?s unusual this time of year.?

Water went shooting out over the roadway and CalTrans had to bring in trucks to pump out some of it.

Trucks will be standing by just in case it happens again today.

The $120 million highway project, scheduled to be finished in January 2011, will widen the highway from four to six lanes on 7.6 miles stretching between Steele Lane and downtown Windsor.

As far as the forecast, two storms moving into Sonoma County this week were expected to bring about an inch of rain, with the bulk of the system dumping on Oregon and Washington.

?It is a moist zonal flow from the west, not a real definitive shot of cold air, but quite a bit of warm moisture,? said Bob Benjamin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. ?The main system is up in the Pacific Northwest ... we are catching the southern end as it drags across.?

Benjamin said after the second storm, the weather will become clear and warmer, with temperatures in the 70s on Thursday.

Sonoma County was expected to get up to an inch of rain Monday afternoon and into Tuesday morning before the weather breaks.

The second part of the system is expected to hit tonight

(Tuesday)

and Wednesday morning, but it is predicted to be weaker, dropping a half inch of rain.