SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the bay region in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday night, as the first major rainstorm of the season slams into Northern California.
Forecasters said a strong Pacific storm was expected to move into the region late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
They predicted the storm system would dump about one to three inches of rain along the coast, with up to six inches possible in the higher elevations.
Besides heavy rain, the storm was also packing some powerful winds. A high wind warning was issued from Point Reyes south to the Big Sur coast, with forecasters predicting wind gusts could hit 60 miles per hour in some areas.
Bay Area residents living in areas that had summer wildfires are especially concerned.
"We're really closely monitoring those areas that had fires, and we're likely to see a lot of precipitation with this storm," said Joe Molica, a PG&E spokesman. "That can really saturate that ground quickly."
Molica asks anyone who sees a downed power line to call PG&E at 1-800-PGE-5002 as well as 911.
"If you do experience a power outage, call us," he said. "We may not know you're out of power right away."
KCBS' Bob Butler reports
City officials also prepared for the storm, and many were providing sandbags. Foster City Public Works Maintenance Manager Norm Dorais says they have drained six inches from the city's lagoon system.
"Apparently this is a leftover of a typhoon out in the Pacific, so it went across the Pacific and gained a little strength," he said. "So we're expecting some rain, but we're ready for it."
In the Sierra Nevada, forecasters say several feet of snow could fall on some of the higher peaks.
(ewi/clo)
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