Bay Area to get first rain since December
PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- The Bay Area is about to get the first significant rain since mid-December.
The North Bay is expected to get the brunt of this weekend's rains, just as it did in December. That's when places like Rohnert Park and Petaluma, in low lying areas, found themselves inundated with record rains.
Now, after a month of bone dry weather, city officials in Rohnert Park are warning of more potential flooding.
VIDEO: North Bay communities brace for upcoming rainstorm
"They do expect heavy rain Friday morning, at least for a 24 hour period. The volume of rain can create flash floods because there's so much rain that the creeks can't handle it all," explained Pat Krause with Rohnert Park Public Safety.
VIDEO: ABC7 Meteorologist Drew Tuma explains the Pineapple Express coming Friday.
Susan Pierce didn't wait for a warning in December. The intersection near her home was covered in two feet of water. She picked up some sandbags, just in case it happens again.
"It was a lake, it was a lake! I saw cars coming through. They'd stop and see the lake and turn around because they said there's a lake on the other side. They didn't know how to get out," said Rohnert Park resident Susan Pierce.
John Hudson lives in the same neighborhood and also felt the December storm's impact. "If worse comes to worse, we'll park the car in the driveway. This is the low point in the storm drain system. So that's why it flood here," he said.
As for potential flooding this time, it's really all in the timing. The creeks in the North Bay can handle heavy rain as long as it doesn't come at the same time as a high tide.
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