Weekend storm brings heavy rain and flooding to North Bay, causing event cancelations

ByCornell Barnard KGO logo
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Weekend storm brings heavy rain and flooding to North Bay
The Level 2 storm in the Bay Area this weekend hit the North Bay with heavy rain and flooding on Saturday.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) -- A storm moving into the Bay Area Saturday grabbed the attention of most of us, from first responders to drivers who were just trying to navigate slippery roads. Flooding is a concern in the North Bay.

Pedestrians, beware of the splash. Rain is bringing slippery road conditions and lots of ponding in Mill Valley.

By midday, Bolinas Road in Sausalito was starting to flood. Some drivers were still making it through, but flooded signs were posted.

Storm drains were trying to keep up with all the runoff after a long rain-dry January.

In Sonoma County, Mark West Station Road was closed at Starr Road due to flooding from nearby Windsor Creek.

TIMELINE: Level 2 storm with possible heavy rain, flooding in Bay Area this weekend

"For us now, it's just a potential for minor nuisance flooding and ponding, anything that could damage somebody's property," said Santa Rosa Fire Division Chief Paul Lowenthal.

Lowenthal says the North Bay has received dozens of inches of beneficial rain so far this season. It's ready for more but not all at once.

"We hope we get breaks in the systems, allowing water to recede and not wind up with any significant issues locally," Lowenthal said.

The rain made for some challenging driving on Highway 101.

Back in Marin, the first Sausalito Crab Festival supporting the local crab fishing fleet got rained out. Barbara Waxman and her grandson, Jake, were bummed. They came hungry.

LIVE: Track storm with Live Doppler 7

"We were really excited to take Jake to his first crab fest, and of course with the rain, it was canceled. We're half disappointed about it. We need the rain, but of course, we wanted the crab," Waxman said.

The crab festival has been rescheduled for Feb. 22.

First responders say the biggest concern ahead is forecasted winds early in the week, which could topple trees and power lines.

"Right now, we're looking at potential for gusty conditions through the week, stronger Monday into Tuesday. So, for us, when we have these back-to-back systems, we get saturated soils and weakened trees have potential to come down easier than they would," Lowenthal said.

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