Forecasters are saying that the rainy weather expected to begin tonight will increase in severity by Friday, in what they're calling the "first big storm of the season."

As previously noted, rainfall expected to begin Thursday will be the heaviest rainfall the Bay Area has seen since March — and with that could come downed trees, flooding, and damage to homes.

KRON 4 reports that in advance of the storm, crews with PG&E are scouting out trees that look likely to damage power lines as they topple.

But though KRON describes this weekend's rainfall as a "major storm," ABC 7 differs, saying that they are "forecasting a moderate storm, which ranks a 2 on the Storm Impact Scale, moving in Thursday night and making a mess of the Friday morning commute."

But that won't be the end of the rains, they say, as "another storm will arrive Saturday evening. This one will be a lighter storm, a 1 on the Storm Impact Scale."

That doesn't sound too bad, right? But that doesn't mean the channel thinks you can just hang out and get wet or whatever, as they urge you to "check those windshield wiper blades and clear the gutters, pull out those rain boots and jackets, buy new ones if you need them."

I hear you on the windshield wipers and gutters (I guess? As a longtime renter in a San Francisco apartment building, gutters are not in my wheelhouse) but the new rain boots and jackets dictate seems a bit much — we're talking about a bit more than an inch of rain, not The Day After Tomorrow.

The storm, our boot and coat loving pals at ABC say, is a result of "an Atmospheric River" that's "taking moisture from Typhoon Songda and funneling it towards the West Coast." That's apparently one of the reasons visitors to coastal areas also need to be on high alert, as the National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Advisory for Thursday through Friday morning...

...and the US Coast Guard has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory and High Surf Advisory from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, KRON reports.

Via press release, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center search and rescue specialist Danielle Couture says “Boaters and beachgoers should be especially cautious on and near the water over the next several days,” as "strong rip currents and large shore breaks are expected to affect all west- and northwest-facing beaches from Sonoma County to Monterey County," KRON reports. "Even larger swells are anticipated for Sunday," they say.

Bay City News also warns that "the storm could cause coastal flooding due to high surf, high tides and summer beach slopes. Very low-lying coastal areas are at the highest risk for flooding." Hmmm. Maybe I should get those boots, after all.

Previously: Biggest Rains Since March Expected This Weekend