Quick Take
The Santa Cruz Mountains could see 8 inches of rain, and the rest of the county as much as 6 inches, as another winter storm barrels into the area beginning Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from Wednesday evening through Saturday evening.
Brace yourselves. Again.
Another heavy storm system is heading toward California’s Central Coast, and the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Santa Cruz County from Wednesday through Saturday, with the forecast calling for 4 to 6 inches of rain accompanied by strong winds and heavy surf.
Light rain is expected Tuesday evening, with the heaviest rainfall forecast Wednesday night through Thursday night. That stretch also could be punctuated by possible thunderstorms and a west-southwest wind of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, according to NWS spokesman Joe Merchant.
The Santa Cruz Mountains, meanwhile, are expected to receive up to 8 inches of rain through Friday.
NWS said rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying areas may spill over their banks; as of Tuesday afternoon, the San Lorenzo River was predicted to peak at 13.4 feet around 11 a.m. Thursday at Big Trees, south of Felton – under of the “action stage” of 14 feet, which the weather agency website describes as “the level which, when reached by a rising stream, represents the level where the NWS or a customer/partner needs to take some type of mitigation action in preparation for possible significant hydrologic activity.”
Merchant also said “there is a risk of landslides” from the saturated soil as well as fallen trees and branches from the wind.
As always, those living in low-lying areas prone to flooding should make preparations.
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