Forecasters said the storm door would be open all week and man were they right. Thursday came in with a roar of heavy rain, wind and street flooding just in time for the commute.
Strong wings and threats of floods caused school officials in the North Bay to cancel classes at several schools in West Marin. A rock slide also closed a portion of Highway 1 Thursday morning. The slip-out is located at post mile 4.80, just west of Green Gulch Farm, and has reduced the highway to one lane in that area, officials said.
The CHP also shut down the Richmond San Rafael bridge to big rigs Thursday morning because of high wind danger.
The storm hit the Bay Area with its greatest force in the 8 a.m. hour, according to meteorologist Christina Loren. Loren said the system will change over to scattered showers and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon, adding they could produce small hail.
It's a cold weather system with highs only in the 40s.
Showers are back in the forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In Marin, the Shoreline Unified School District has canceled classes at Tomales High School, Tomales Elementary School, West Marin, Bodega Bay and Inverness schools, the district's transportation director Charlie Lord told Bay City News.
Lord said heavy rain in West Marin and that the wind knocked down countless branches onto roadways.
Classes were expected to resume Friday.
