Tuesday night’s storm dropped upwards of a foot of rain in the Big Sur mountains, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that is minimal compared to heavy rains expected for this weekend across Monterey County.
According to NOAA meteorologist Roger Gass, residents should expect a three-day rainstorm starting Friday morning pouring upwards of 16-inches on the county.
“It’s a pretty potent atmospheric system, so it’s a more than a standard storm,” says Gass. “If it keeps to its potential, it could been one of the biggest storms we’ve seen in awhile.”
According to NOAA, the urban areas of Monterey and Salinas could see two to three inches of rain.
While rain is welcome for the drought-stricken state, Gass says a lot of rain in a short timeframe could cause problems.
“We definitely expect an increase in flash floods and rock slides across the region,” he says. “Overall we’re going to be a little bit of a mess this weekend.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Caltrans reports a full road closure on Highway 1 at Fuller's Point in Big Sur due to crews removing a slide. The closure is expected to be cleared by 6pm on Wednesday.