Wet, windy storm to hit San Francisco Bay Area this weekend

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gusty winds swept across the San Francisco Bay Area early Friday, but commuters saw dry streets ahead of a storm that's expected to unleash up to 10 inches of rain through the weekend in parts of the drought-stricken region.

In the North Bay, many businesses put out sandbags out in preparation for heavy rain and possible flash flooding. Winds of up to 15 mph were recorded east of San Francisco on Friday morning, and the blustery weather could knock down trees and power lines, causing isolated power outages, the National Weather Service said.

The rainfall won't make a significant dent in the state's drought, but it's a welcome change after six dry weeks in the area. For the first time in recorded history, there was no measurable rainfall in downtown San Francisco in January, when winter rains usually come.

The Weather Service issued a heavy rain, high wind gust, and flash flood warning for the Bay Area through Monday. The storm is expected to start slowly, push south Friday afternoon and drop rain throughout the region into the weekend.

The heaviest downpours are forecast in the North Bay, where up to 7 inches of rain is expected to overwhelm waterways and roadway drainage systems, leading to flash flooding.

Urban areas could see up to 4 inches of rain, while Marin and Sonoma counties could see 10 inches of rain throughout the weekend.

Additionally, wind gusts across the Bay Area over the next few days could hit 20 to 40 mph, with potential gusts up to 60 mph. But it won't be cold, with temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s.

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