The National Weather Service continued its Flood Warning for the Napa River at 4 p.m. Saturday. This warning projects that the river will rise about two feet above flood stage in St. Helena and in the area of Oak Knoll Avenue during the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 2. Oak Knoll Avenue is about five miles north of the City of Napa. This area is largely agricultural and minimally developed.
If the forecasts are correct, the peak level of the river in the City of Napa will occur between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. City of Napa projections continue to indicate that the Napa River will remain mostly within its banks in areas south of Lincoln Avenue. If rainfall totals reach the maximum predicted, there may be minor flooding near the Lincoln Avenue Bridge, and, as designed in the Flood Project, the lower portion of Veterans Memorial Park may be inundated. As a precaution for public safety, Veterans Memorial Park and the Riverfront Promenade, as well the as Oxbow Preserve Park, will be closed to the public throughout the day Sunday.
The third and final storm of the week was due to arrive Saturday night and continue into Sunday. It has the potential to bring another three to four inches of rain at lower elevations and seven to eight inches of rain in the higher elevations. The bulk of the rain is expected between 6 a.m. and noon Sunday. In addition to the Flood Warning, the area remains under a Flash Flood Watch that includes Napa and the North Bay through Monday, Dec. 3. There is also a wind advisory from 10 p.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday, with southerly winds expected to reach 20 to 30 mph in lower elevations and up to 50 mph gusts possible at higher elevations.
City staff will convene for the next status update at 8:30 a.m. Sunday to review updated Weather Service data and conditions and will issue another update to the community at about 9:30 a.m.
The City's self-service sandbag operations will continue through the night and on Sunday in the parking lot north of the Napa Premium Outlets on Freeway Drive near First Street. Since Thursday, about 7,000 sandbags and 100 tons of sand have been dispensed. Those wanting sandbags should bring a shovel and gloves and be prepared to fill and transport their own bags. Residents in low-lying or flood-prone areas near creeks and streams are advised to remain watchful. To track rainfall amounts and river and creek levels, go to http://napa.onerain.com/home.php .
During winter storms, residents can report urgent problems with storm drains, trees and other concerns by going to cityofnapa.org and clicking on the “Service Center” link at the top of the page, or by calling 707-257-9223.
To get the latest updates from the City, bookmark cityofnapa.org, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cityofnapa, follow us on Twitter @cityofnapa or register for alerts at www.nixle.com. To keep track of rainfall amounts and river and creek levels, select “Rainfall, River and Creek Data” from the Quick Links menu at cityofnapa.org
Also follow Napa Valley Patch for updates on Facebook and Twitter.
