Rain, Cold, & Possible Thunderstorms Predicted After Warm Week

BAY AREA — Well, it was nice while it lasted. After record-breaking warm temperatures, the Bay Area is in for a cool, wet, and windy weekend that may include thunderstorms.

A low-pressure system is bringing a dramatic temperature drop throughout the region, according to forecasts. Highs will drop from the mid 70s on Friday to the upper 50s to low 60s on Saturday, and light rain is predicted in San Francisco and Oakland. Showers will hit the region Saturday night, and are expected to last throughout Sunday. The showers are expected to be relatively light, with just 0.1 to 0.5 inches of rain predicted across the region between Sunday and Monday. The Santa Cruz, Santa Lucia, and North Bay mountains will likely see up to an inch.

Sunday also brings a 10 to 15 percent chance of thunderstorms, which are predicted to multiply by Monday morning, NWS meteorologist Dylan Flynn told SFGate.

It will be a particularly bad time to be at the beach, where wind gusts are expected to reach up to 30 miles per hour. The National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazards Statement, and warned of increased risk for sneaker waves and rip currents, and breaking waves of up to 20 feet on west-facing beaches, and up to 15 feet in the northern Monterey Bay. The Beach Hazards Statement lasts from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday along the entire coast, and a High Surf Advisory is in place for much of the coast except for the Santa Cruz area from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Monday.

Even once the rain is gone, temperatures are expected to plummet up to 25 degrees Monday morning. Santa Rosa could see temperatures in the 30s early in the morning, which could translate to snow in the mountains. Weaker rain and cooler temperatures are expected through Wednesday throughout the region.

This weather stands in stark contrast to the past week, which has seen temperatures creep up to the 80s in some spots. According to the National Weather Service, daily high temperature records were set in Salinas (84, previously 82 in 1992), King City (85, previously 83 in 2002), and tied in Redwood City (79, a temperature not seen since 1932.)