Flood watch in North Bay as El Niño storm dumps heavy rain

The first of two storms expected to pound Northern California in coming days dumped close to two inches of inch of rain in many North Bay spots Thursday morning, causing minor flooding and mudslides and prompting fears that the Russian River would spill its banks. The National Weather Service projected that continued rainfall would swell the Russian River to flood stage in the Sonoma County community of Guerneville by 11 p.m Friday, with water levels peaking Saturday morning. Water managers released supplies at Lake Sonoma earlier this week — for the first time in five years — to prevent the reservoir from filling up and having to discharge water downstream during the storms. A flood advisory was in effect for Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, and much of the Bay Area remained under a flash flood watch through the weekend. “We’ve had some minor flooding and standing water on Highway 101, but what we’re mostly focused on is flooding in creeks in West Sonoma,” said CHP Officer Jon Sloat. The CHP advised commuters not to drive through standing water and to note alternate routes in case of road closures.