San Mateo Police Warn of 'River of Rain' Headed Our Way

SAN MATEO, CA – San Mateo police on Thursday issued an alert to area residents to make sure they are prepared for a strong storm system that will make its way through the region this weekend.

The heaviest rain is predicted to fall between Saturday night and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's what police had to say:

The national weather service is calling this weekend's rainfall an “Atmospheric River” and a once in 5-25-year storm. What does that mean? A whole lot of rain.

That being said, we are reaching out to everyone to make sure you and your family have the resources to be prepared. The City of San Mateo Public Works Department have arranged two locations where you can get sandbags. They will be located at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, 2050 Detroit Drive, and our San Mateo Corp Yard, 1949 Pacific Boulevard. Keep in mind that it is self serve, so if you can bring a neighbor, friend, family member or body builder it would be helpful.

During the storm if there is any concern for public safety, i.e. tree down, electrical pole concerns, major flooding, etc. please don’t hesitate to call us- 911 for emergencies and 650-522-7700 for non-emergencies. If there is a power outage, please call PG&E- 1800-743-5000/ Outage info 1800-743-5002.

Otherwise, batten down the hatches and enjoy a quiet weekend of board games, movies, and family time!

And here is the full forecast from the National Weather Service for the coming days:

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 36. North northwest wind 6 to 14 mph becoming east northeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Friday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 52. Light and variable wind.

Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of rain after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. East southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday
Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Light east southeast wind becoming southeast 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night
Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 55. Southeast wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Sunday
Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 61. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

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