Heaviest rain expected on Saturday and Monday
Friday’s storm will be mostly impacting the North Bay, but the whole Bay Area should expect some rain. Monday’s storm will likely be stronger across the entire Bay Area, and will include potentially heavy rain and strong westerly winds. This graphic shows precip forecast for Saturday 4pm PST according to the GFS model.

From MTR AFD:
.LONG TERM... (Friday night through next Wednesday) Issued at 248 PM PST Thu Jan 30 2025 Confidence continues to increase for widespread impactful rainfall to persist through the remainder of the extended forecast. The first system arrives on our doorstep late tonight. Much of the North Bay will have already seen between 0.50-1.00" of rain by late tomorrow night and early Saturday. The focus of higher rainfall amounts will then shift south into the Bay Area, East Bay and Santa Cruz coastal range throughout the day Saturday. A relatively strong upper level trough axis will shift onshore late Friday into early Saturday when increased rainfall rates can be expected from the North Bay into the Bay area. While the parent low reconsolidates well to our north, zonal flow with a series of embedded shortwaves will continue to drive widespread light rain across most of our area, with enhanced upsloping producing periods of moderate to heavy rain along our coastal ranges through the weekend. The main upper low then dives south late Sunday night into Monday. Deterministic guidance is in decent agreement for the evolution of the primary low`s shift south, but this part of the forecast will continue to be watched closely. Any change or retreat north for the beginning of next week, will result in big changes for rain totals outside of the North Bay. The rainfall totals for tonight through early Monday morning should only lead to minor impacts with respect to flooding across the North Bay. However, by the time the second round arrives for Tuesday and Wednesday, we`ll see rivers and streams begin to respond quicker to the steady fetch of rainfall expected. Even with the higher end totals anticipated, there is roughly a 10% chance of flooding for normal trouble spots along the Russian Rive in Sonoma County and other locations into Napa County and Marin County. As we monitor the rainfall this weekend, and the evolution of the larger scale pattern for the beginning of next week, keep an eye on subsequent forecast updates as these river forecasts could change considerably. Along with the potential for periods of moderate to heavy rain leading to flooding, there will also be moderate to strong gusty winds. The strongest winds will be across higher elevations, beginning Saturday morning with the passage of the aforementioned trough axis moving onshore. As some might expect, the strongest gusts should be expected over higher elevations like Mt Helena, up to 60 MPH after sunrise Saturday through much of the day. We`re anticipating the need for a Wind Advisory beginning at some point early Saturday, with elevated wind speeds continuing through the middle of next week. While strong gusty winds at higher elevations may approach 60 MPH, lower lying areas along the coast and inland valleys can expect max wind gusts between 35-45 MPH at times.
