An atmospheric river brought additional rain, strong winds, and flooding to the Bay Area Tuesday, with an increasing chance of thunderstorms later in the afternoon.

An atmospheric river from the north that made its first push into the Bay Area over the weekend got its second wind Monday night, “over-performing” the National Weather Service’s expectations, the agency said. The storm, which is “stronger than expected,” caused minor to moderate flooding in some areas.

The heaviest Bay Area storm system in a string of three of them is forecast to bring with it Tuesday everything that might be expected in the dead of winter. Clouds will look even darker and thicker. Winds will whip with ever-increasing speed. Flood waters likely will rise. Rain should pelt much of the Bay Area region.

The storm is expected to continue to favor the North Bay, resulting in 2.5 to 3 inches of additional rain in Sonoma County and 3 to 5 inches of rain in the North Bay mountains. A flood watch is now in effect for most of the Bay Area and Central Coast through 4 a.m. Wednesday.

It was a wet weekend in the Bay Area, particularly in the North Bay, with some communities seeing minor flooding, after an atmospheric river system pulled through the region. More rain is in the forecast for this week,

A first round of light rain hit the Bay Area on Friday and over the weekend, with more expected to come this week after a notably dry January. The atmospheric river triggering the showers was more focused in far Northern California,