Flood Watch | Northern California Weather Noon

Good afternoon! I'm Aaron Jolly. Welcome to the Northern California Weather Podcast for Monday, February 23rd. Folks, enjoy this sunshine while you can.. Because tonight it vanishes. Right now you're sitting at 44 degrees under clear skies. The Bay Area climbs to 66 degrees today. The Central Valley edges to 67. Gorgeous stuff. Soak up every last ray. But around 3 P.M., winds flip from southeast to west. That's your signal. Rain hits the Bay Area by 7 P.M. And really gets going after 9 P.M. The heaviest downpours slam between 2 A.M. And 8 A.M. Tuesday, peaking around 4 A.M. You're looking at a quarter to three quarters of an inch in the Bay Area. That's enough to pond on the freeways. Slide over to the Central Valley and it's a lighter story. Rain rolls in around midnight. Totals stay modest, maybe a tenth to a quarter inch. The Valley dries out faster too. By Wednesday you're back to 66 degrees while the Bay Area is still wringing out its umbrella. Now the serious stuff. Northern Humboldt and Del Norte Counties are under a Flood Watch through Tuesday evening. Gusts hit 50 miles an hour along the North Coast tonight. If you're anywhere near Highway 101, stay sharp. Rockslides and localized flooding are real possibilities. Tuesday's highs drop to 63 in the Bay Area, 60 in the Valley. Temperatures actually fall through Tuesday afternoon as rain continues. Snow levels stay sky high, so this is all rain, no mountain snow. The week ahead tells a better story. This storm is a quick punch. Wednesday the rain tapers and a warming trend takes over. The Bay Area rebounds to 64 Wednesday, 66 Thursday. The Central Valley? You'll flirt with 70 degrees by Friday. That feels like early spring knocking on the door. Air quality sits moderate today but the rain scrubs everything clean by Tuesday. Silver lining on a wet day. I'll be tracking this storm all night. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow. Take care!