Active AlertsUkiah, CA

What: South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.
Where: Lake County, and Southeastern Mendocino Interior.
When: From 1 PM Friday to 4 PM PST Saturday.
Impacts: Wind gusts will be particularly strong along windward ridges. Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution. Secure outdoor objects.

A series of atmospheric rivers will bring an increased risk for urban and small stream flooding late this week and into this weekend. The first round of rain will arrive Wednesday night into Thursday and provide generally light to moderate rainfall amounts. Locally heavy rain is expected in the King Range. This initial period of rain will set the stage for a more intense rainstorm expected to arrive Friday into Friday night. Current indications are for the heaviest rainfall to occur during the day on Friday into Friday night. The greatest risk for small stream flooding will occur during this time period and probably continue into Saturday after heavy rain has ended due to the lag in rainfall run-off. Road closures will be possible. At this point, the area of greatest concern is in southern Humboldt and northwest Mendocino counties. Small rivers, streams and creeks such as Elk river, Jacoby creek and Mattole river could exceed their banks and flood area roads. Southern Mendocino and Lake counties may also experience heavy rain and road flooding will be possible. Mainstem rivers will also likely rise sharply and will need to be monitored for possible flood stage exceedance. Be on the lookout for watches, advisories and warning as this next heavy rain event unfolds. Plan to avoid driving through areas that tend to flood.