An atmospheric river is hitting Northern California, bringing a series of rainy days with storm impacts through the weekend.
The atmospheric river will bring heavy rain, flood risks and strong winds to the region, with the North Bay taking the brunt of the impacts.
TIMELINE: Here's what to expect as atmospheric river hits Bay Area
The focus of flooding will be on smaller streams, creeks and roads in the North Bay. Our rivers will be able to handle this first storm of the season and are not expected to flood.
Strong wind will bring trees down and isolated power outages across the Bay Area.
While wind and rain pound the Bay Area, heavy snow and strong wind gusts will make travel in the Sierra extremely difficult.
LIVE: Track rain in San Francisco Bay Area with Live Doppler 7
Los Altos Public Works is working to clear a large tree blocking a road Saturday morning.
The tree fell on Foothill Expressway at the Loyola Bridge blocking both directions, Los Altos police said.
Crews are asking motorists to use alternate routes until further notice.
Flash flooding was a big concern for parts of San Francisco. Some streets were literally under water because so much rain fell in such a short period of time.
In the Marina District by Marina Boulevard and Divisadero Street, ponding water transformed the road into a river.
It was a similar story in the Mission District by 23rd and Dolores and then at Pine and Masonic streets.
San Francisco Public Works Department says it's the first major storm of the season and they've got their crews working overtime.
"Everyone has their game plan for what we are doing. This is not new in San Francisco, but when the rains get really heavy and the winds start howling, we do our best to keep up. But there is going to be some localized flooding. We're likely to see some trees cone down. We just want to keep people safe," said Rachel Gordon with San Francisco Public Works Department.
In the North Bay, there are flooding concerns on the Russian River. A flood warning is up for the area and with more rain expected, many are quickly moving to higher ground.
Olivia Lindauer was wasting no time moving her house trailer out of downtown Guerneville. Her neighborhood on Mill Street could be under several feet of water by Saturday.
"It's a pain, not as big pain as moving your entire house that doesn't have wheels but it's still not fun for sure," said Lindauer.
Brianna Holmes is already on the move to higher ground with her trailer.
"Just like getting uprooted from your home and stuff, I have to find somewhere else to live for a few days, pet care - all of it and I'm probably gonna have to miss work too, It's probably the most stress I could have," said Holmes.
Some Guerneville neighborhoods were starting to flood Friday. Firefighters were going door to door, checking on residents.
All eyes on the Russian River, which is expected to reach flood stage soon.
"It's in monitor stage right now, but it's looking at this time to be around 34 feet so you can see the neighborhood where it's a pretty good indication these are the first areas It starts to flood some of the creeks," said Sonoma County Fire District Division Chief, Cyndi Foreman.
Everything that isn't nailed down is being moved up and away from the floor at the Surrey glamping Resort.
The resident cat, is also ready for transport.
The resort sits on a low spot, where flooding is almost guaranteed.
"Today, we're basically having the staff clear everything out of the flood area, we'll clean the tents off before next season and we will be ready to go," said Surrey Resort manager, Joey Luiz.
An RV on the property got stuck in the rising water and mud.
In Healdsburg, heavy rain caused a mudslide on Buena Vista Drive. City public works crews are waiting for dryer weather before they can shore up the hillside.
Back in Guerneville, it's time for neighbors to move out.
"See you in a couple of days home, don't go anywhere," said Lindauer.
In the South Bay, many people spent the earlier part of Friday preparing ahead of afternoon and evening rain.
Workers and volunteers at Christmas in the Park in San Jose focused on protecting many of the displays and structures with sandbags.
"We open on the day after Thanksgiving, on November 29. The rainy days are my most favorite days in the park, because there's fewer people here, and all of the lights just kind of glisten, and it's just magical," said Debbie Degutis, managing director, Christmas in the Park, "So that's when I think people should come down here."
Still, precautions are being taken.
"We're prepping for the rain. We're putting sandbags out just to protect some of our displays. But all these displays are designed and built to be in the rain, the wind, the sun, and they're going to be just fine," Degutis said.
Valley Water made sandbags available at stations throughout the county and have been asking residents to stay alert.
"We've been messaging out to the public to make sure that they're prepared as the wet season starts," said Matt Keller, Valley Water spokesperson, "So, we're asking everybody to make sure that they have an emergency plan in place in case there is flooding,"
San Jose resident Dan McCarthy taking no chances and making sure his family doesn't, either.
"My son's got a shed in the back that has a low point by the by the door, so I thought I'd take a little preventive action today," said McCarthy.
Right now, the hope from officials is that the rain will have as minimal of an impact as possible on residents like McCarthy and his son and instead bring benefits.
"We're hopeful that this will just be good for our water supply," Keller said. "Although we're not expecting a lot of water to go into our reservoirs, this does soak the ground so that the next storms that come into Santa Clara County can start getting that runoff into our reservoirs and filling up our reservoirs."
