Signal of ‘change’ and ‘hope’?: Rain moving through Sonoma County this week

A “parade of storms” that haven’t been seen locally since 2018 will move across Sonoma County this week bringing with them at least a quarter-of-an-inch of rain, according to Bay Area meteorologists.

The rain, which began falling Sunday evening, is expected to continue through Saturday — except for a slight pause on Monday, when the region can expect to see the sun.

“This rain may become steady and we may experience heavier rain across the North Bay by next weekend,” National Weather Service Bay Area meteorologist Rick Canepa said on Sunday.

In addition, temperatures will drop quickly, with a high of 64 expected Monday, followed by highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s and lows in the mid-40s to low-50s through Saturday.

The anticipated levels are unusual since for the past two years in October, precipitation didn’t exist anywhere in Sonoma County, National Weather Service meteorologist Gerry Diaz added.

Rain moved into the northwestern parts of Sonoma County by late afternoon on Sunday.

And by 5 p.m., light showers had moved into the southeastern parts of the county, headed toward Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Petaluma.

As of Sunday evening, meteorologist said, the rain will last until midnight, with off-and-on showers into the early hours of Monday, Canepa said.

However, Sonoma County residents should expect a clear Monday afternoon and night.

The rain will pick up again by Tuesday evening and continue into the weekend, meteorologists said.

Typically during October, Santa Rosa experiences little to no rainfall. Any measurable precipitation past about a quarter-inch could be considered a record-breaking amount based on previous records, weather experts said.

However, meteorologists predict between 2 and 5 inches of accumulated rain across the North Bay this month.

“These October storms are something we haven’t seen in a while,” said Diaz. “We call it a ”parade of storms,“ which means one storm after the other.”

Though many in Sonoma County are concerned about the impact of the ongoing drought, as well as the region’s extended and unpredictable fire season, some area residents are holding onto hope that the predicted rainfall might ease the potential for wildfires across the county.

In California, so far this year, nearly 2.5 million acres have been scorched and more than 3,000 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.

“It’s a worry each year that we’re not getting enough rain, we should’ve gotten more rain earlier in the year,” John Walsh, 32, a Sonoma County resident of 30 years, said Sunday. “At this point, any rain is better than no rain.”

Still other area residents say they are thrilled the rain has returned even though it may not do much to ease either the drought or the chance of wildfires.

“It’s exciting that it’s going to rain at all. We’ll see how much we get, the long-term outlook continues to be bleak. It should put an end to fire season. For the long-term drought though, it’s going to take a lot more than that,” said Jeff Conti, 29, of Petaluma. “For now, I’m going to revel in it.”

Other residents spent Sunday evening reaping the benefits of the rain.

“I spent all morning in my garden getting my plants ready for the rain” said Matthew Pak, 25, of Rohnert Park. “It’s a refreshing change, especially for October since it’s been dry for the last handful of years.

“The rain signals a season of change and of hope,” Pak added.

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.