After welcoming a respite from the wet weather, the Bay Area will once again see deluges of rain return to the region during the early part of the workweek, according to weather officials.
The incoming atmospheric river storm system is expected to hit the North Bay the hardest, dumping anywhere from 5 to 9 inches of rain in the region's hills and mountains and 3 to 5 inches along the coast and in the valleys, according to the National Weather Service.
Those expected rainfall totals have prompted the weather service to issue a flood watch for Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties between Monday afternoon and Wednesday night.
The weather service warned that the inundation of rain across already waterlogged terrain could cause the Russian River, Napa River and low-lying areas to flood. Flash flooding could also be possible between late Monday and Tuesday night.
"Do not attempt to cross flooded roadways," the weather service advised.
San Francisco, the Peninsula, the East Bay and the South Bay will all be under a flash flood watch between Monday afternoon and late Tuesday night, according to the weather service.
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Between Monday and Tuesday night, 4 to 6 inches of rain could fall in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the weather service reported. Spots near the coast and along the San Francisco Bay could pick up 2 to 4 inches. Locations in the Santa Clara Valley are slated to collect 1 to 2 inches.
This winter's rounds of wet weather have drastically improved California's standing when it comes to the state's battle against drought. As of last Tuesday, just over 67 percent of the state was free from any drought. At the start of the calendar year, that number was just below 8 percent.
