Storm peters out after dropping rain, brings down trees in Sonoma County

The heaviest portion of a storm that dropped around three-quarters of an inch of rain on Santa Rosa and brought down trees around Sonoma County had passed through by midday Saturday, leaving only light rain showers for the early afternoon.

Rainfall was heaviest in Santa Rosa at around 7 a.m., after the storm hit the coast beginning around 3 a.m. The spring storm was the result of a cold front and is bringing a late season snowfall to the Sierra Nevada.

In the North Bay, Sonoma County’s RedCom emergency dispatch center reported a morning full of calls about downed trees and traffic accidents due to wet roads.

Napa County received less rain than Sonoma County, with the city of Napa receiving around three-tenths of an inch, according to National Weather Service forecaster Dalton Behringer.

By midafternoon the weather should begin to clear the area, leaving only the possibility of spotting showers into Saturday night, Behringer said.

The rain dampened but did not prohibit a series of annual spring events Saturday morning. Runners at the Sonoma County Human Race, a 5 kilometer run that benefits local nonprofits, completed the course in ponchos, slickers and in some cases, holding umbrellas.

And cyclists at the Wine County Century, a race hosted by the Santa Rosa Cycling Club that starts downtown and takes various routes through Sonoma County vineyards, braved the rain and were rewarded with hot coffee and tomato soup, according to social media posts from the cycling club.

Saturday is also the first day of the two-day Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival, an annual fundraiser featuring live music in Bodega Bay. That event began at 10 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m., giving festivalgoers a chance to wait out the morning’s showers.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) @AndrewGraham88