Rain returned to a portion of the Bay Area early Tuesday as the first in a series of systems that will change the long dry pattern of December moved across the North Bay.
The South Bay, East Bay and Peninsula continued to wait.
That light rain in the North Bay — six-hundredths of an inch fell near Lake Berryessa on Tuesday and .01 inches fell in Santa Rosa, according to the National Weather Service — is expected to build as the week moves along and should be fully unleashed by Saturday.
Until then, the North Bay is likely to see most of the showers.
Forecasters are anticipating at least an inch of rain in the South Bay, East Bay and Peninsula, and perhaps as much as 1½ inches. In the North Bay, 2-5 inches of rain are anticipated before Monday.
“The atmospheric ‘reload’ will come in the way of a low spinning up over the Pacific north of (Hawaii) and another storm system swinging into the (Pacific Northwest),” forecasters said of the light rain expected before the weekend. “This set up will allow for a moisture plume to take aim at the (Pacific Northwest) before sliding down the (Northern California) coast on Friday.”
Widespread rain is expected to initially return to the North Bay before pushing south to the Central Coast.
“A great way to describe the overall weather starting Friday through early next week will be episodes or periods of rain,” forecasters said. “Not a complete wash out, but measurable rain.”
Meanwhile, confidence continues to increase that “impactful weather” will return beginning around Dec. 22 and continuing through Christmas, according to the agency.
“Holiday travel is likely to be impacted across the West Coast,” the agency said in a separate briefing.
