Powerful Storm System Bears Down On Bay Area

The Bay Area was back on storm watch Wednesday night with the National Weather Service posting flood warnings and advisories as another strong storm system moves ashore.

The most serious current situation is the Navarro River in Mendocino County. As the second of two storms arrived Wednesday night, it was projected to deliver significant rainfall of up to two inches to the Navarro River basin through Thursday morning.

The National Weather Service in Eureka has issued a flood warning for the Navarro River from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning or until the warning is canceled.

As of 2:15 pm Wednesday, the stage was 14.1 feet. Flood stage for the river is 23 feet and is expected to be reached around 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

The Navarro River was projected to crest near 25.6 feet around 11 p.m. Thursday night. At 25 feet, flooding of Highway 128 approximately five miles from Highway 1 is certain to close the road. Motorists should use alternate routes until Highway 128 reopens.

The waters will likely recede to below the 23-foot flood stage by early Friday morning.

In Solano County there was a flood watch for the Yolo Bypass near Lisbon and Clear Lake at Lakeport with the Yolo Bypass expected to exceed flood stage early Friday morning and Clear Lake projected to reach flood stage Friday afternoon.

A flood advisory has been issued for all Bay Area counties except Santa Clara, while a wind advisory for San Francisco, the Bay shoreline, the coast and hilltop locations is in effect with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour expected on Thursday.

There is also a winter storm warning in the Sierra.

Boaters were taking extra precautions as this storm rolls into the Bay Area.

The U.S. Coast Guard said with the 35-knot-winds forecast Wednesday night, boaters should double check the moorings of their vessels, particularly after the weekend storm blew so many boats free in Richardson Bay.

"Definitely hope they're getting prepared. They should double moor their boats," said Joshua Gunn of the U.S. Coast Guard. "Boats breaking free is probably the number one thing we deal with."

Sausalito resident Jeanette Smith said her 62-foot-long sailboat was secure.

"Yeah, I was worried because there was water coming in, but everything was OK," said Smith.

Ron Macannon was tending to his 82-foot vessel. He said his biggest worry is the giant cover over his deck.

"The wind, it just grabs everything and it can be so very strong," said Macannon. "Strong and violent."

After years of drought conditions all the rain from the Bay Area’s wet winter has filled up reservoirs to the point where Pardee Reservoir in Calaveras County has too much water.

On Wednesday, East Bay MUD is releasing enough water every second to fill two gas tanker trucks. It was a delicate balancing act.

Reservoirs have to keep enough water for customers while keeping an eye on incoming storms and the snowpack.

"We have this snow pack that's 150 percent of average and very wet," said EBMUD spokesman Charles Hardy. "And that water will come down when it gets warm and we have to make room for it."

All five of East Bay MUD's reservoirs have plenty of water to the point where the levels are between one and three feet from the top.