A fast-moving cold front brought more rain and snow to California on Friday, starting in the north and then moving southward.
The San Francisco Bay Area might see scattered snow showers at elevations as low as 2,000 feet Friday night and early Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Winter storm warnings were posted for the Sierra Nevada and mountains elsewhere, including ranges from the Central Coast southward from Los Angeles to San Diego counties. Forecasters predicted snow would fall at low elevations up and down the state due to cold air behind the front.
People intending to travel through the mountains were urged to be prepared for potentially heavy snow and dangerous conditions.
After five years of drought, California has seen improvement lately as storms have moved through the state. As recently as September, 100 percent of the state was at some level of drought.
Now, 15 percent of the state – the north coast and part of the far northern interior – are free of drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. About 60 percent of the state remains in the three worst levels of drought – severe, extreme and exceptional.
Local
On Friday, the effect of steady rainfall was visible in the South Bay.
The Vasona Dam was once again feeding the Los Gatos creek, while on 1st and Alma streets in San Jose, pedestrians had to cut through traffic to avoid a flooded crosswalk. Inclement weather in Los Angeles caused delays of up to an hour at San José International Airport.
Meanwhile, the soggy weather had North Bay residents on alert. Last week, people were caught off guard when the San Anselmo creek nearly flooded.
Boutique owner Joy Sassoon put all her clothes up on her high bars, but fortunately her shop didn't flood. She described the experience as “very close” and “very scary.”
The rain came in spurts Friday, with blue skies and sunshine in between. Flooding worries were low, but showers slickened roads, forcing holiday shoppers and travelers to be careful.
On Christmas Eve day? Most cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs will be near 50 and northwest winds will reach 10 to 20 mph.
Good news for Santa, though. Sunday shows clouds in the morning and a sunny afternoon.
