Quick Take
A National Weather Service meteorologist said the main rain band of the latest atmospheric river had passed through Santa Cruz County as of midday Thursday, with only mild to moderate rain expected through Friday. A few weather warnings will remain in effect until Saturday, but the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has lifted all of its evacuation orders.
The worst of the latest atmospheric river has passed, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist, but more rain will continue to fall on Santa Cruz County throughout Thursday and Friday.
As a precaution, the Santa Cruz Wharf will close on Friday. Wharf businesses, still attempting to recover the loss of income from the Dec. 23-Jan. 4 closure that came after the partial collapse of a 150-foot section of the end of the wharf, are concerned about yet another closure — this time on Valentine’s Day right before a three-day weekend — even if they understand that it is the correct safety decision.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office lifted its evacuation orders for the Felton Grove neighborhood near the San Lorenzo River and areas of Watsonville near Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks at around 2 p.m. on Thursday
A high wind warning will remain intact until Friday morning, a high surf warning will remain in effect until early Saturday morning, and a flood warning will expire Thursday afternoon. However, a flood watch will stay in effect until Saturday night.
NWS meteorologist Roger Gass told Lookout late Thursday morning that the majority of the storm’s precipitation fell overnight Wednesday into Thursday. He said that lower county elevations saw between 2 and 3 inches of rain while mountain regions saw around 4.5 inches across the past 24 hours.
Wind was intense at times, particularly in the early morning hours on Thursday. Gass said the highest wind gust in lower elevations reached about 42 mph, while the highest peaks of Mount Umunhum and Loma Prieta saw winds reaching the mid-70s. He said the NWS might drop its high wind warning to an advisory, but that was still to be determined.
“We probably have reached our max wind gusts for the day unless there’s a convective shower or thunderstorm that moves on any one given area,” he said.
Gass said that while the majority of the atmospheric river has pushed out of the area, the possibility of rising creeks and rivers remains possible. However, the San Lorenzo River’s water level has trended downward since its peak at 15.69 feet between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Thursday. That is considered “action stage,” which means that the water surface is near or slightly above the top of the banks. As of midday Thursday, the water level was at 12.83 feet, below the action stage threshold of 14 feet.
Rain is forecast to continue into Friday, albeit at a much more modest rate. Gass said the remainder of Thursday should see only ¼-inch to ¾-inch of rain in lower elevations and up to 2 inches at the highest peaks.
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