Storm dumps 2 inches of rain overnight

Crews were clearing downed trees and flooded roads Thursday after an overnight drenching that brought more than 6 inches of rain to parts of Sonoma County.|

Crews were clearing downed trees and flooded roads Thursday morning after an overnight drenching along the North Coast.

In a 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m., the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport received two inches of rain and Venado in the hills west of Healdsburg had 6.6 inches, said Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.

'It definitely was a nice soaking,' Anderson said.

At the Vallejo Home in Sonoma, the overnight rainfall was 1.06 inches, from yesterday at 4 p.m.

The deluge swamped roads from the Sonoma Valley to the Russian River. The flood-prone Highway 121/12 intersection south of Sonoma remained closed Thursday morning as Caltrans cleared away mud and debris. A smattering of other roads along Highway 116 were also underwater or blocked by fallen trees.

The Russian River was expected to crest after midnight Friday but remain well within its banks.

Scattered showers are forecast for the rest of the day before another front moves in tonight, bringing up to an inch to Santa Rosa, Anderson said.

Conditions will be somewhat clear Friday with showers returning Saturday, he said.

Santa Rosa's current rainfall total of 35 inches is just over twice the normal for this time of year, the weather service said.

By the weekend, forecasters said the region will have received as much rain as it usually does in an entire year.

'It's pretty impressive,' Anderson said. 'It's a good place to be. Because the faucet could turn off in March.'

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.

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