Winter storm ‘Pineapple Express' will hit SF tomorrow: what you need to know

Brace yourselves, San Franciscans and other Bay Area folk: tomorrow’s weather is about to get even wetter. Thursday’s forecast is calling for more storm activity. According to the National Weather Service, there will be a deluge of rain and occasional gusts of wind over 40 mph.

Tomorrow’s storm—named Pineapple Express after an atmospheric river with a plume extending from California to Hawaii—is anticipated to hit San Francisco soon after Thursday morning’s commute. It will continue throughout the day and well into the evening.

“The upcoming storm will bring about half an inch of rain to San Francisco, less than half an inch for the East Bay and up to 3 inches in parts of the North Bay,” reports SFGate.

What that means for tomorrow’s commute: It’s going to suck, and there’s a decent chance that there will be delays on BART, Muni, Caltrans, and on the ferries. Commuters should plan in advance. Or, better yet, if possible, work from home.

San Franciscans should also anticipate possible power outages, too.

Flashing flooding in areas around the Embarcadero and other urban areas is also highly likely, similar to what already happened earlier this week.

Areas like the Santa Cruz Mountains, Guerneville, and San Anselmo, all of which felt the brunt of this past week’s storm, will be on notice. According to SFist, “Johnson's Beach in Guerneville is again underwater” while “other problems are being caused by an overflowing Fife's Creek.” The Russian River itself climbed above a flood stage level of 32 feet, reaching a peak of 34.4 feet.

• Downtown San Anselmo shutdown due to flooding [Curbed SF]
• Bay Area bracing for another blast of blustery and rainy weather [SFGate]
• Fresh 'Pineapple Express' Storm Arrives Thursday As Cleanup From Last One Continues [SFist]
• Flash flood watch issued for San Francisco [Curbed SF]