The Bay Area gets a brief break from the rain Friday before the next storm makes its way into the region early Saturday. But there's no such pause in the cold weather.
Overnight temperatures dipped into the 20s and low 30s in some areas, prompting a freeze warning in parts of the North Bay and South Bay early Friday until 9 a.m. High temperatures were expected in the low to mid-50s across the region.
The extreme cold temperatures have prompted local programs into action to help those without shelter, such as HomeFirst of Santa Clara County, which provides countless resources for people at risk outdoors.
The next storm is expected to start with scattered showers Saturday morning before widespread rainfall comes in the afternoon, forecasters said. The rain will continue on and off through Saturday evening and into Sunday and possibly Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Friday’s break in the rain will give the ground a chance to soak up the downpours from Thursday. That’s especially important in areas with burn scars from recent wildfires. Without the vegetation, the hillsides are prone to mudslides and rock slides.
From the Santa Cruz Mountains to the East Bay, the advice is the same: Give that water someplace to go.
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"And that’s making sure there’s no debris in storm drains in neighborhoods," said John Medlock of the Alameda County Public Works Department.
Residents may also want to take the opportunity to look at trees on their property. On Thursday, the wind toppled a tree in San Francisco that fell onto overhead Muni lines. It was just one of about six big trees that came down.
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As always, with cold and rain, there's the likelihood of power outages similar to the ones Thursday that left almost 2,000 PG&E customers in the dark on the Peninsula and in the North Bay.
The weekend rain is expected begin around 6:30 a.m. Saturday in the South Bay, with the system making its way across the greater Bay Area about noon.
Those who wish to donate to HomeFirst can find a wish list on the organization's website or email donategoods@homefirstscc.org.
