Storm arrives in Sonoma County, quickly surpassing average September rainfall

A storm that arrived over the weekend has brought welcome rain to Sonoma County, and meteorologists say more wet weather is on its way this week.

The Bay Area was expected to get the bulk of the storm’s moisture, along with its strongest winds, by daybreak Monday. But scattered showers are likely to continue through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

By 4 p.m. Sunday, rainfall recorded in parts of the Bay Area had already exceeded the average for the month of September.

That was the case in Santa Rosa, where a gauge downtown had measured nearly a half-inch of rain, surpassing the 0.15-inch monthly normal over the past two decades, weather service data show.

“I’m so happy,” said Angel Cruz, a 23-year-old Santa Rosa resident, who reflected on Sunday’s weather while working as a security guard at the city’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.

Cruz said the weekend’s rain and cooler temperatures came as a welcome relief following a heat wave that broke an all-time temperature record earlier this month in Santa Rosa, where the mercury hit 115 degrees on Sept. 6.

Donaciano Botello Torres, another Santa Rosa resident who was at the Luther Burbank Center on Sunday, agreed.

“It’s a nice break from the heat,” Torres said. ”I find pleasure in gloomy days.“

The wettest spots in Sonoma County were in the mountains along the coast.

Cazadero had the highest rainfall total reported by the weather service as of 4 p.m., at 2.57 inches.

The Annapolis area, just northeast of the Sea Ranch, followed closely behind, with 2.53 inches.

Recordings in the more populated parts of the county were much lower.

Rohnert Park had seen 1.18 inches of rain, while Sebastopol and Healdsburg had received about an inch. The town of Sonoma got about a half-inch and Petaluma got 0.32 inches.

Sonoma County doesn’t get rain every September, but storms are not unusual. The county has seen September showers in about two-thirds of the years since the beginning of the 20th century, according to the weather service.

Santa Rosa got 4.39 inches of rain in September 1904, which was the city’s wettest September since records began in 1902.

Last year, the city recorded a third of an inch of rain for the month. There was no measurable rainfall in September 2020; 0.12 inches for the month in 2019; 0.06 in 2018; and 0.52 in 2017.

The rain Sunday prompted the cancellation of DogFest Wine Country at Russian River Brewery Company in Windsor. The event, hosted by Canine Companions, was set to include a service dog demonstration on the brewery’s patio.

Staff Writer Mya Constantino contributed to this article.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.