GILROY
– Expect wet and wild weather for the ending week of 2002 as
several storm fronts hit the Bay Area between now and New Year’s
Eve.
GILROY – Expect wet and wild weather for the ending week of 2002 as several storm fronts hit the Bay Area between now and New Year’s Eve.
Today and Friday will have light sprinkles on and off throughout the day, Saturday morning is when the South Valley really starts to get drenched, said Bob Benjamin, forecaster for the National Weather Service based in Monterey.
“It looks like the heavy rain in the Gilroy area starts Saturday around sunrise or shortly after,” he said. “It’s going to be a little windy as well.”
Saturday’s wind will be “brisk” at about 10 to 15 miles per hour, but not as strong as the windy storm that came through the area last week, he said.
The heavy morning rain will taper off to showers by Saturday afternoon and Sunday is expected to be mostly fair with clouds, he said.
Another storm system will hit the Bay Area on Monday around noon. Light sprinkles will start in the afternoon with heavy rain coming in the late afternoon or evening, he said.
“That (storm) should be tapering off on New Year’s Eve during the day,” he said. New Year’s Eve will have a few lingering showers in the morning and clear up for the festivities at night, he said.
Temperatures for the next five days are expected to reach highs of the mid-50s to 60 degrees during the day and the lower 40s at night, he said.
New Year’s Day and Jan. 2 will be clear, but a new storm front is expected to come in on Jan. 3.
“It doesn’t look to be too serious,” he said. “Of course, all this is subject to change. We’re in marketing and not production.”
The northern sections of the Bay Area and the coastal mountains will get the major brunt of the weather systems, he said. The rain storms now pounding the Bay Area are not unusual for this time of year, he said.
Benjamin said he did not expect local creeks to flood during these three storms.
The California Highway Patrol reminds drivers to be careful with wet roads.
“Watch your driving and slow down,” said Officer Terry Mayes of the CHP’s Gilroy office. “It’s always better to get there 10 or 15 minutes later than not at all or with a dented vehicle and higher insurance rates.”
With the recent storms, South Valley roads have a lot more potholes which, when filled with water, make driving more dangerous, she said.
“The roads are slippery. Give a little more time and distance for the vehicle ahead,” Mayes said.
If the rain comes down so hard that drivers can’t see, she recommends that pull over on an off-ramp and wait for the downpour to end.
“You’re driving blind,” she said. “Californians as a whole are not acclimated to adverse weather. Most people, due to lack of experience, do not realize their car’s capability in wet weather is not the same as in dry (weather). They fail to perceive how dangerous it can be.”
