Rainy, cold front on the way and worst still to come from California storm

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Although the first wave of a worrisome Pacific storm hasn't caused any major problems in California, forecasters say the worst is still to come, leaving authorities and disaster-weary residents on edge.

The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river. 

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the North Bay Thursday morning and there were heavy wind advisories issued for the Bay Area bridges. Thunderstorms were possible and a colder front was moving throughout the Golden State. The city of Rohnert Park Police and Fire posted a picture of a red car in flooded waters between Rohnert Park Expressway near the Rancho Mobile Home Park and Stony Point Road. "Don't be this guy," the department tweeted.
 

The storms also brought the threat of flooding to the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada, where winter storm warnings for new snow were in effect on the second day of spring.
 
Record rain fell Wednesday in parts of Southern California where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. 

Although there were no major debris flows as feared, forecasters warned that disaster is still very possible as the rain picks up on Thursday.
 
"We're very concerned," said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard. "We're hoping this isn't a cry-wolf scenario where people will pooh-pooh what we're saying."