Rain, snow, hail to give way to warmer weather in Sonoma County

A cold weather front that dumped widespread hail across Sonoma County on Wednesday is expected to give way to clearer skies and warmer daytime temperatures starting Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Wednesday’s storm brought scattered rain showers, isolated thunderstorms, thick hail and snow at some mountain peaks throughout the region, weather service meteorologist Gerry Diaz said.

In Santa Rosa and other inland parts of the county, hail dropped by passing thunderstorms blanketed the ground, resembling snow.

Diaz said the storm clouds reached high into the atmosphere where temperatures were below freezing. “So instead of rain drops, you get this pea-sized hail,” he said.

The Santa Rosa Fire Department reported multiple traffic accidents on roadways and Highway 101 due to the wintry conditions.

CHP spokesman David deRutte said officers responded to some half-dozen accidents in Sonoma County on Wednesday morning, though no major injuries were reported.

While daytime temperatures are forecast to reach the high 50s to mid-60s on Thursday and into the weekend, temperatures may drop into the 30s at night, meaning a dusting of snow is still possible in the mountains, Diaz said.

On Saturday night, light rain could return to the North Bay, lasting into early next week.

The rain is needed because the region remains far behind average precipitation totals so far this season.

While the passing storm dumped 0.87 inch of rain over Santa Rosa between Tuesday and Wednesday evening, the city has received a total of about 11.2 inches of rain since the start of the rain year on Oct. 1, amounting to 38% of the average amount for this time of the year.

Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian