SAN FRANCISCO (December 3, 2012)--Residents of Northern California felt the brunt of another powerful storm that drenched the area with yet another round of pounding rain and strong winds, but officials say damage from the storm was less than expected.

The latest storm system, which was the third to hit the area in less than a week, dropped as much as an inch of rain per hour in some areas, toppling trees and knocking out electrical service to tens of thousands of people.

Rivers across Northern California swelled, but officials say they did not flood as extensively as had been expected.

Forecasters issued flood warnings for the Napa and Russian rivers, two rivers north of San Francisco with a history of flooding, as well as the Truckee River, near Lake Tahoe, but later canceled the warning for the Russian River.

In Napa, where more than 8,000 sandbags and about 150 tons of sand were distributed before the storm, officials breathed a sigh of relief after the heaviest rain moved out of the area and the city appeared to avoid any major damage.