Rain Drenches Belmont

As rain soaks the streets of Belmont, officials are urging residents to drive carefully, remain cautious of the strong winds and be on the lookout for potential flooding.

City Clerk Terri Cook said when she left her home on Wednesday morning after Tuesday night's storm, she found her flag pole on the lawn.

"I have one of those that’s affixed to the porch support," Cook said. "I guess I didn’t have it screwed in as tightly as I thought, but that had to be some wind to have pulled it out. It’s pretty heavy."

The stormy weather has prompted the National Weather Service to issue urban and small stream flood advisories for San Mateo County, as well as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties.

Streams and creeks may rise but property damage should be minimal, National Weather Service officials said.

"The heaviest rain is in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties with up to a quarter-inch per hour," National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson said.

Anderson said there have been reports of small hail and lightning in the Point Reyes National Seashore.

The weather service has also issued a high-surf advisory for areas along the coast including the Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula coast, northern and southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur coast.

The advisory will be in effect until 3 p.m. due to dangerous conditions related to tidal cycles, high winds onshore, and swells of up to 15 feet, according to the weather service.

"It's slowly moving south," Anderson said of the storm system. "The greater Bay Area will start to see some of that heavy rain by midday."

The greatest effects will be on the roadways, Anderson said.

The California Highway Patrol is alerting motorists of flooded roadways and road closures.

"If people can leave a little extra space and use headlights it really helps," CHP Officer Mark Thomas said.

Wind advisories have been issued for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Bay Bridge, Thomas said. The advisories were issued Wednesday night and will stay in effect indefinitely.

Bay City News contributed to this report.