Flooding has prompted school and road closures in parts of the North Bay.
The Sonoma County Office of Education said the following schools will be closed on Friday due to rain and flooding: Guerneville School in Guerneville, Harmony Elementary in Occidental, Salmon Creek Charter in Occidental, and Monte Rio Union School in Monte Rio.Updates on the school closures can be found on the SCOE website.
Also, on Friday, the Shoreline Unified School District with schools in Tomales, Point Reyes and Bodega Bay in West Marin and Sonoma counties announced that the 500 students in its boundaries would also have no school on Friday because of the rain and flash flood warnings in effect.
The unincorporated community of Guerneville is expected to see more flooding Saturday morning. Crews in response will be working and on call through the weekend, with all waterways in the area under close watch.
A Guerneville neighborhood on Mill Street has already experienced flooding on the roads due to this week's rains. Resident Wendy Chavarria spent Thursday moving her livestock and is keeping watch on the rising water from nearby Fife Creek.
Chavarria anticipates 4 to 6 feet will run through her home this weekend.
On Summerhome Park Road, saturated soil triggered a landslide, shutting down the only way in and out for residents.
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The Russian River at Guerneville is expected to exceed flood stage of 35 feet at 7 a.m. Saturday, three feet above flood stage, according to Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Flooding along the Russian River is expected to cause a host of other problems.
Sonoma County Fire Chief Al Terrell said the county, which is responsible for the unincorporated areas such as Guerneville, is prepared to open the emergency operation center if necessary.
But county officials are waiting to see what the weather brings before making any other decisions besides availing residents of sandbags and notifying residents who may get flooded.
Rain will continue in the North Bay tonight and Friday. Another storm is forecast to move through Saturday and Sunday, with the North Bay expecting 8 to 10 inches before the rain ends Monday.
The greater San Francisco Bay Area is expected to receive 2 to 4 inches of rain by Monday, with 1 to 3 inches south of San Jose, Anderson said.
For updates on road conditions in Sonoma County, visit the County of Sonoma website.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
