Weather

Russian River expected to crest over flood stage

By
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Some residents in Guerneville are worried as the Russian River is expected to crest over flood stage Friday.
GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- A flash flood warning was issued late Thursday morning by the National Weather Service for southeastern Sonoma County and northeastern Marin County because of persistent rain in the area.

A flash flood warning means flooding is imminent or occurring.

REAL-TIME: Track the rain on Live Doppler 7

Some residents in Guerneville are worried when they learned the Russian River crest Thursday morning.

Last year, this probably would have been described as a storm worthy of concern, but with all the rain they've had in the area some people's perspectives have changed. "This is like drizzle, the rain from two days ago was ridiculous. This is like drizzle, so it isn't too much, the river can handle it," Guerneville resident Brian Flores said.

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The Russian River is expected to rise above its flood stage again on Friday and minor flooding is expected, but some residents are worried. "Scared because of loose rocks, mudslides and now with wind and maybe downed trees, so yeah I'm worried," Guerneville resident Donna Cairati said.

She said she and many others have stocked up on bottled water and food in case they are trapped. However, even if their homes aren't impacted, they are still worried about those who don't have homes. "A big concern for our homeless community as you probably saw all lined up trying to stay dry and warm," Cairati said.

Emergency crews said they haven't received any calls Thursday for weather-related services.

Also, weather service officials expect Petaluma and Penngrove to experience flooding and said anyone who lives along Willow Brook in Sonoma County should immediately protect life and property.

Weather service officials encourage anyone who is in a vehicle to turn around if they see a flooded road rather than try to drive through the water. Most flood deaths occur when someone is in a vehicle.

Click here to download the ABC7 News App to get your weather forecast on the go. And make sure you enable push alerts for immediate notifications and severe weather alerts.

Bay City News contributed to this story.
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