An unsettled period of partly cloudy Bay Area skies and isolated rain showers will give way to a new storm system Friday that is expected to produce a moderate amount of rain and strong winds throughout the weekend.
Cloudy and cool conditions Thursday, along with showers tapered off in the evening, will lead to a brief pause in rainfall chances overnight before the next system moves in Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
“We can expect light to moderate rainfall, with the heaviest in the coastal mountain ranges, then by Friday afternoon we’re going to turn to a post-fontal environment, and we can see some thunderstorms potentially linger into Saturday evening,” said Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass.
The three-day forecast calls for anywhere from a half inch to an inch of rain in most places, with up to an inch and a quarter in San Francisco.
Temperatures are expected to be mostly moderate, with lows across the region dipping down to the low 40s inland and mid 50s along the coast.
Also, a wind advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday for the East Bay Hills, the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest, as well as the Santa Lucia Mountains and higher elevations in San Benito County, according to the weather service.
During that time, people can expect wind gusts of up to 45 mph in most affected areas, with stronger winds at some localized peaks.
After the weekend, things should settle down quickly and the sun should come out again, Gass said.
“Monday through mid-week we are expecting a warming and drying trend,” he said.
After that, more unsettled weather could be on the way for later in the week.
