Mother Nature is bestowing a Christmas Day “gift” of heavy rains and high winds on the Bay Area on Bay Area residents and holiday travelers.
The National Weather Service says storms could drop as much as a half-inch of rain in Oakland, accompanied by strong winds that could gust to nearly 50 miles-per-hour.
The thunderstorms are expected to remain in the Bay Area through Friday. The weather service warns high winds could down trees and power lines.
The East Bay will be especially hard hit by the storms, with forecasters predicting as much as two inches of rain by Christmas Day.
Holiday travelers are being warned to prepare for long lines at airports and roads.
Storms have already saturated the soil in some parts of the area. And the Weather Service has issued a flood watch and high wind warnings covering the Bay Area and the Central Coast through Friday.
