The latest atmospheric river arrived Wednesday in the Bay Area with a forecast of strong, damaging winds, chances of thunderstorms, and possible snow in the highest peaks.The National Weather Service said in its daily forecast discussion that the leading edge of the cold front would sweep over the North Bay in the mid to late morning and continue sliding south through the afternoon.

The first in a series of three storms is expected to reach the Bay Area by Wednesday morning. The second storm is expected on Friday and the third on Sunday. Forecasters expect 1 to 2 inches of rain through this weekend in most Bay Area cities, with 4 inches or more in the North Bay hills and Santa Cruz Mountains.

Rain is returning to the Bay Area this week with the most intense portion of the storm expected on Wednesday. Here's a timeline of the storm.

Another round of atmospheric river-fueled storms was poised to soak the Bay Area from Tuesday night into the weekend, accompanied by gusty winds and possible thunderstorms.

Temperatures are expected to be cold as the storms move through. Daytime highs are not expected to exceed the high 50s until Saturday. Overnight lows are expected to dip into the low 40s in most of the region and into the high 30s in the most inland places.