Rain and strong breezes are coming to the Bay Area and Central Coast Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather system will bring rain to the North Bay and coastline starting early in the morning.
Rain will become more widespread across the Bay Area through sunrise. After sunrise, rain will extend south and inland through the morning, afternoon and evening, weather service officials said.
The weather service described the rain as beneficial because it will be light enough that it won't trigger debris flows in areas scarred by last year's wildfires.
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Some areas could see heavy rain. The weather system will also bring southerly wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph to Bay Area hills and along the coast. In the highest elevations, gusts may exceed 45 mph.
Rain could extend into early Friday morning but by daytime, conditions are expected to be dry in most locations.
Mountains along the coast may receive up to 1.5 inches of rain and isolated areas may get 2 inches.
Local
Up to three-quarters of an inch of rain is possible in the North Bay valleys and East Bay hills while elsewhere up to half an inch is expected.
