The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flash flood watch for the Bay Area due to predicted heavy rainfall over the coming days. The watch is in effect from Tuesday, Jan. 26 to Thursday, Jan. 28. The weather service is specifically warning about debris flow and flash flood warning in and around recent burn areas.
The NWS forecast discussion from Jan. 24 says that an atmospheric river predicted to last from Tuesday to Thursday will potentially result in major impacts to the burn scars of areas that burned in 2020 — for Sonoma County, this means that burn scars for the Walbridge, Meyers, Stewarts and Glass fires are particularly susceptible.
The NWS is warning people to stay alert and to not cross flooded roadways.
The heaviest winds and rain will occur Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday. Wind gusts in that time period are predicted to reach gusts of 40 to 60 miles per hour, which could cause downed trees and power outages.
