'Pineapple Express' to bring rain to Bay Area this week

Sandhya Patel Image
Thursday, April 5, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- An Atmospheric River is heading in our direction and that means we are in for drenching rain in the coming days!

An AR is commonly known as the pineapple express because it's tapping into moisture near Hawaii. It's responsible for 30 to 50 percent of our winter rain here in the Bay Area. It's late in the season to see such a strong Atmospheric River and it will likely set daily rainfall records.

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Thursday evening some light rain will move into the north bay and spread across the entire Bay Area late at night. It's a Level 1 system tomorrow on the ABC7 Storm Impact Scale but, it will become a Level 2 on Friday. The storm intensifies and will soak the Bay Area Friday into Saturday morning when a steady stream of moisture comes through here.

It will be accompanied by strong, gusty winds. Rainfall totals at the lower elevations will range from 1"-3" by Saturday night and higher elevations will get between 3"-6" of rain. This storm will bring the risk of flooding, mudslides and debris flows over burn scar areas and possible power outages and trees toppling. Stay vigilant and safe during this stormy period.

Friday's storm will rank as a 2 on the ABC7 Storm Impact Scale, meaning a storm of moderate intensity, and it may continue into midday Saturday.

Click here to download the free ABC7 News App to track the storm where you live. Make sure you enable push alerts for immediate notifications and severe weather alerts.

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VIDEO: Tips for how to drive safely on rainy days

We all know Bay Area roads can get a little crazy in the rain. Here are some tips on how to stay safe.