Santa Rosa region to see first rainfall in more than a month on Saturday

Sonoma County will see a sprinkling of rain early Saturday morning, breaking a dry spell that's lingered over the region for more than a month.

The light showers will begin just past midnight, bringing about a tenth to two tenths of an inch of rain before clearing in the afternoon, said Carolina Walbrun, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

It'll be the first rainfall in Santa Rosa since Jan. 28, when the weather service detected a mere .003 inches of precipitation, she said. Last month made the local record books as the first time in more than a century that February delivered no rain in Santa Rosa.

Currently, Sonoma has seen less than 12 inches of rain since the start of the water year on Oct. 1, or just over 50 percent of average, she said. Last year's rainfall total was over 32 inches at this time of the year.

“The little bit of rain that we're going to receive this week is not going to make up for the deficit that we're already seeing,” Walbrun said.

Temperatures will reach the upper 50s on Saturday and then dip to the low 30s overnight. Drivers should be wary of slick roads after Saturday's light rain and unhoused people may be at risk due to the cold temperatures, the weather service reported.

Sunday should be dry, though some showers are possible, Walbrun said. A low pressure system could lead to additional rainfall on Monday, though areas south of the Bay Area will see the heaviest rain, Walbrun said.

Christian Kallen contributed to this report.