Christmas Eve: Rainy With A Chance Of Tornado?

BAY AREA, CA — The National Weather Service forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area for Wednesday calls for showers, thunderstorms, breezy winds and fog across the region.

Daytime highs will be mostly in the low 60s on the coast, mid 50s to low 60s around the bay, and high 50s to low 60s inland. Overnight lows will be in the high 40s to high 50s.

Strong winds and heavy rain hit the Bay Area early Wednesday as a powerful storm moved up the coast, bringing dangerous conditions overnight and into the morning, according to the NWS.
Wind gusts peaked near 95 mph in the Marin County highlands, with gusts over 90 mph also reported in parts of San Benito and Sonoma counties. A High Wind Warning for coastal areas and a Wind Advisory inland were in effect until about 4 a.m., with winds expected to ease quickly after the main front passes.

The weather system also brought offshore thunderstorms, scattered flooding and a small chance of severe storms, mainly along the coast, the Salinas Valley and parts of the North Bay. Forecasters say damaging wind gusts were the main threat, with a very low chance of a brief tornado early Wednesday.

A Flood Watch remains in effect through Friday, though the risk has shifted toward flash flooding from intense bursts of rain rather than widespread river flooding.
Conditions are expected to improve later Wednesday, with lighter winds and decreasing rain, but the break will be short. Another storm is forecast to arrive late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing more strong winds and heavy rain, according to the NWS.

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