A series of wet weather systems promise to soak the Bay Area well into next week, and forecasters say Friday's first salvo has the makings of a classic atmospheric river. In updates shared Thursday, the National Weather Service charted multiple rounds of moderate-to-heavy rainfall stretching as far as the forecast can see.

After a long dry spell accompanied by freezing temperatures in the Bay Area, rain is finally reentering the forecast, with an atmospheric river poised to soak the region in the coming days. The precipitation comes after forecasters initially expected the final weeks of the month to be completely dry,