Big waves, steady rain expected in Sonoma County this weekend

Rough seas this weekend on the Sonoma Coast will be followed by steady rainfall Sunday and Monday, with forecasters looking at more rainy days next week as the door opens on a set of winter storms moving through the Bay Area.

A high surf advisory stretching from Monterey to Sonoma counties was set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday and extend to 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Serivce. Waves could reach 20 feet or more, with sneaker waves and rip currents causing other beach hazards, said National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Schneider.

The Santa Rosa area was in store for some light rain on Friday evening and Saturday morning, but Sunday night into Monday is when the brunt of the storm will hit, dropping 1 to 2 inches in the hills and up to three-quarters of an inch in the valleys, Schneider said.

While the system will help, it is not expected to erase the region’s significant rainfall deficit, Schneider said. Previous forecasts had shown signs of heavier precipitation, but updated models confirmed that the system won’t be an atmospheric river — the moisture-laden storms that account for much to most of the region’s seasonal rainfall.

“It doesn’t look it’s going to stop and blast us with rain,” Schneider said.

Santa Rosa on Friday had received only about 4.5 inches of rain since Oct. 1, according to weather service records. Last year, the area had recorded three times that amount — closer to the average 14.1 inches by this time in the rain season.

Tuesday should bring with it mostly sunny skies after some early, patchy fog. Forecasts call for a chance of rain Tuesday night through Thursday.

“It’s a series of frontal systems pretty much throughout the week,” Schneider said.

You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @wsreports.