Snow Predicted at the 1,000-Foot Level in the Bay Area

With a 50 percent chance of snow this weekend, why not use the weather to get out! For this week's weekend planner, we at Rohnert Park Patch suggest you get in your car and go enjoy Sonoma County's natural spaces. Who knows, if you're hiking in in the mountains, you just may be able to stick your tongue out and catch a snowflake.

Low-falling snow may tempt our Mediterranean-climate-loving selves to play hooky on Friday, Bay Area meteorologists are saying.

From, Sonoma Mountain to Mount Madonna, from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Mt. Diablo range, meteorologists predict snow will falling on  anything above 1,000 feet Thursday night.

By Friday night, scattered precipitation could deliver snow at sea level in some spots—depending on when the really cold temperatures arrive.

“It has to be the right combination of factors, in just the right sequence,” said Jan Null meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Service. “First, you need the cold air, then the precipitation, not just cold rain.”

The last time just the right combination came together was Feb. 5,1976, when a broad cold front brought snow all over the Bay Area 35 years ago. Before that, Jan. 15,1962, that brought less than an inch, just a few months after our president was born.

The heaviest precipitation arrives to the Bay Area on Thursday and is predicted to be over before very cold air arrives that would bring snow lower. The best guess is only a 50:50 chance, but you never know in the weather business.

“The temperatures are going to be bigger story after that,” said Null. He expects a hard freeze on Saturday morning to Sunday, with lots of 20-degree readings across bay.

Still, on Friday morning you could very well see Mt. Tam —at 2,400 feet—quite covered with snow, Null said.

• Sonoma Mountain—2,400 feet
• Mendocino Mountains—4,000 feet average
• Mayacamas Mountains—4,700 feet
• Taylor Mountain—1,406 feet
• Cobb Mountain—4,720 feet
• Bald Mountain—7,938

“We recommend you have a back-up plan if you go over mountains for your commute,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson.

If driving conditions are hazardous, Caltrans often shuts down portions of freeways. Stay tuned for any closures. 

Anderson just shakes his head when it comes to Sonoma County. “It's just going to be a mess Friday morning,” he said. “People will be trying to get over mountains and they won't be able to get over.”

If you do find yourselves heading to the nearby hills, share your photos with Patch here.