Watch covers areas of Santa Clara County from Dec. 30 to 31

Published December 30, 2022 on GilroyLife.com

The Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection project is being built to help prevent major flooding in the South Valley region like this. Photo courtesy Valley Water

By Staff Report

The National Weather Service is forecasting a strong atmospheric river storm to impact much of Northern California this weekend, with periods of moderate to heavy rain expected Friday night through Saturday evening. The weather service has issued a flood watch from Friday at 10 p.m. through Saturday for much of the Bay Area, including locations in Santa Clara County.

Valley Water is closely monitoring this rain event for potential impacts along waterways in Santa Clara County and crews are working to ensure South Valley waterways remain clear of debris and blockages.

While our agency does not anticipate flooding along our county’s larger waterways, smaller urban creeks can rise quickly with sudden bursts of rainfall.

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Below are essential resources for flood preparedness:

• Santa Clara County emergency alert system AlertSCC provides up-to-date information on emergencies and disasters in your area.

• Valley Water’s ALERT (Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time) system provides information on levels of streams and reservoirs and precipitation gauges.

• Free, filled sandbags are available for residents of Santa Clara County. The sandbag sites are listed HERE.

• Spills, blockages, or dumping in creeks can be reported by calling Valley Water’s watershed hotline at 408-630-2378.

• More flood safety tips and resources are available at valleywater.org/floodready.

The weather service also forecasts another chance of rain next week, providing an opportunity to reduce outdoor water use. Despite the rain, Santa Clara County remains in a drought emergency. Valley Water reminds the public that under current watering rules, sprinklers should be turned off within 48 hours of rainfall.