(Wines&Vines) - After a brief respite, welcome rains continue in Northern California.

Several waves of precipitation arrived on schedule, bringing sinkholes, flooding and power outages to Bay Area cities. During the weekend of Jan. 21-22, mudslides closed heavily trafficked Highway 17 between Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz for several hours. Highway 9, a scenic route through redwood forests between the Bay Area and Santa Cruz, was also blocked by slides and downed trees. Flash flood warnings remain in place.

Members of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, notoriously a focal point for precipitation, reported minimal damage to date. In fact, the wet weekend of Jan. 7-8, was a good one for 900-case Russian Ridge Winery in San Carlos, Calif., easily accessible for area residents and club members, according to Scott Townsend. Selling 95% of its product direct to consumers, Russian Ridge was founded in 2011. Townsend observed no problems in the single-acre vineyard, and no negative effects. “When you live on a well at the top of a hill, it’s not rain, it’s water,” he said.