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.

The National Weather Service said this week's atmospheric river is proving to be stronger than initially expected.

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.

Heavy precipitation is falling mostly in mountain areas. A flood watch in also in effect for the coast of central California, including the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley.

A stronger atmospheric river is set to hit Northern California on Monday and then hit Los Angeles County on Tuesday, aiding hopes of a more definitive end to a devastating fire weather season for Southern California.

The second peak of an ongoing atmospheric river storm arrived in Northern California Monday afternoon, prompting flood watches and a winter storm warning up in the Sierra.

"We do have a Flood Watch in effect across the area from this afternoon to late Tuesday night," Kurth said. "Much of the Sacramento area will be relatively dry early and then we'll see precipitation spreading from north to south through the day. So, afternoon and especially tonight we'll see some of that moderate to heavy rain."

Here's the latest forecast for an upcoming winter storm that forecasters hope could finally lift Los Angeles County from the throes of a devastating fire season.

At atmospheric river continues to slam portions of California Tuesday, with multiple inches of rain expected until Wednesday morning.

Forecasters believe there's little risk that the rains expected next week will trigger debris flows and mudslides in Southern California's recent burn areas.