LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Forecasters said another major storm — one of the largest of the winter season so far — is set to hit Lake and Mendocino counties on Sunday and continue through much of the coming week.

AccuWeather’s meteorologists said the storm, which originated near Hawaii, will tap into moisture from atmospheric rivers, heightening flood risk.

Called a “pineapple express” because it brings moisture from the tropical pacific, the storm is forecast d to drop the heaviest rain from San Francisco south to Los Angeles.

However, at the same time heavy rain is expected throughout Lake County.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch and wind advisory for most of Lake County, as well as a winter storm warning for the northern third of the county, all of them in effect through Sunday.

The forecast calls for the storm to begin late on Saturday or early Sunday.

Moderate to heavy rain — up to 2.5 inches on Sunday in parts of the county — will fall along with strong and gusty winds and snow in the higher elevations. On Monday, close to another inch of rain could fall.

From Tuesday through the rest of the week, chances of showers remain in the forecast, although rain is expected to taper off during that time.

Due to the already saturated soils, the National Weather Service issued the flood watch for
southern Lake County, which will last much of the day on Sunday.

The rain so far this year has caused the level of Clear Lake to quickly rise.

Since Jan. 1, the lake has risen from 3.02 feet Rumsey — the special measure for Clear Lake to 6.16 feet Rumsey as of early Saturday. That’s more than a foot and a half higher than this time last year.

For context, the lake is full at 7.56 feet Rumsey.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.