The storm bearing down on the state is set to arrive Thursday, bringing as much as 10 to 12 inches of rain to the Big Sur Coast. The storm also has the potential of a deluge for the Central Coast—2 inches expected in Monterey and 3 to 4 inches in Watsonville.
In Santa Cruz, residents could see as much as 5 inches, and the Santa Cruz Mountains could get 8 inches.
That was the message Wednesday from meteorologist Brayden Murdock, who says the already saturated soil could mean trouble for areas beset by atmospheric river storms in January and February.
“Be prepared,” he says. “If you saw flooding in January, be prepared for flooding again from these events that are coming through,”
The Salinas and Carmel rivers will see high crests, but Santa Cruz County officials say that the Pajaro River will not.
The weekend is also predicted to bring rain, as is Monday, when a cold front is expected to pile on another inch.
“It’s going to be a while before we get all this rain out of our system, and that can cause those river flooding conditions to increase,” Murdock adds.
