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Bay Area residents better take out their umbrellas and raincoats and brace themselves for the season’s first atmospheric river.

The National Weather Service says an atmospheric storm is headed toward the Bay Area this afternoon. The Weather Service predicts that moderate to heavy rains and strong winds will buffet the Bay Area.

A cell of thunderstorms could also move through the area through tomorrow.

Forecasters say the Bay Area could receive as much as an inch of rain, with as much as two to three inches falling in the North Bay and Santa Cruz mountains, as well as the Santa Lucia Ridge.

Wind gusts could reach speeds between 35 to 50 miles per hour, with 60 mile-per-hour gusts along the coast, mountains and passes.

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