Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Issued by NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
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909 FXUS66 KMTR 152012 AFDMTR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Francisco CA 112 PM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 ...New SYNOPSIS, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 112 PM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 Gusty winds continue today, with chances of drizzle and light rain arriving later tonight into Monday afternoon. Temperatures below seasonal averages continue through midweek with a second upper level low moving in, then gradual warming into the next weekend. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Monday) Issued at 112 PM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 The weather pattern today is dominated by a cold front working through the Bay Area and into the Central Coast. The cold front has brought noticeable cooler temperatures across the board, with highs reaching the low to mid 70s in the inland valleys, the upper 70s to low 80s in the North Bay valleys and southern Monterey County, the mid to upper 60s in the Bayshore, and the upper 50s to mid 60s along the Pacific coast. Monday is set to be even cooler inland, with even the North Bay valleys and southern Monterey County seeing temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Northwest winds should continue to build through the day, with the strongest gusts tonight into early Monday morning before winds diminish later in the morning through the afternoon. The strongest gusts will be through the gaps, passes, and favorably oriented (northwest-southeast) valleys and coastal regions (e.g. the Salinas Valley, the San Bruno Gap, the Sonoma Coast, and the Santa Cruz County coast west of Capitola). These areas will see gusts up to 35- 40 mph, occasionally 45-50 mph. The rest of the region should see gusts of 25-35 mph. Chances of drizzle and light rain arrive late tonight into Monday afternoon, but accumulations are expected to be pretty light. The higher elevations are expected to see a tenth to a quarter of an inch of rain, with some isolated areas seeing nearly half an inch. The forecast for the lower elevations continues to be even lighter, with a tenth of an inch being the absolute maximum and the North Bay and southern Monterey County largely missing out. Low clouds continue to linger across the San Francisco Bay Area and the southern Monterey Bay. Some clearing is possible through the afternoon, but the cooler temperatures could keep stratus around at the immediate coast and some of the higher elevations. Tonight, the strong winds and rain make for a pretty low confidence forecast for stratus coverage, with the best forecast suggesting more mid-level cloud cover across the region. && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through next Saturday) Issued at 112 PM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 Temperatures cooler than seasonal averages continue through the next few days, and another upper level low arrives late Tuesday into Wednesday. This low isn`t as strong as the one that`s coming through today, so the winds won`t be as gusty, and rainfall totals will be similar to those from the system today and Monday. Of note, the National Blend is trying to slip a very low chance (10-15% probability) for thunderstorms for the Wednesday system, and a cursory look at the K-Index suggests that, with values up to 32 across the region, the potential for isolated thunderstorms exists. Not very confident at this stage for anything to happen, but definitely something to keep an eye on for the next couple of days as the forecast is refined. After the upper level low moves out, the pattern shifts to a slight ridge with temperatures close to or slightly above seasonal averages by the weekend, and the CPC outlooks suggest that the seasonal to warm temperatures continue into the last weekend of September. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1117 AM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 An early season cold front ahead of an anomalously low upper-level low will bring a tale of two hazards, wind and precipitation. The cold front will continue to support gusty winds at all terminals through the early morning hours of Monday. It isn`t until the anomalously low upper-level low drops down from the Pacific Northwest tomorrow morning that the best precipitation chances emerge. The TAFs were constructed with a four hour timeframe where probabilities of -SHRA were highest, -DZ is possible preceding and succeeding that timeframe. Ceilings will be transient between MVFR and VFR through the TAF period. Vicinity of SFO...Currently MVFR with gusty westerly flow. Westerly winds will strengthen with gusts up to 40 knots expected this afternoon through the early morning hours of Monday. MVFR ceilings will impact the terminal through most of the TAF period as it is still not scattered out and ceilings are expected to make an early return tonight with another late clearing slated for tomorrow. Best timeframe for precipitation (-SHRA) is 09Z-13Z with -DZ possible on either side of that timeframe. SFO Bridge Approach...Low clouds will filter in by 03Z and linger through the TAF period. Monterey Bay Terminals...Currently MVFR with westerly flow at both terminals. Both terminals are expected to briefly improve to VFR this afternoon with a quick return of MVFR ceilings by this evening. Winds will prevail out of the west through the TAF period, becoming gusty this afternoon. Best timeframe for precipitation (-SHRA) is 12Z-16Z with -DZ possible on either side of that timeframe. && .MARINE... (Today through Friday) Issued at 911 AM PDT Sun Sep 15 2024 Back to back early season cold fronts will move through the coastal waters today and Wednesday resulting in widespread strong northwesterly breezes with near gale force gusts. In addition, there is also up to a 10% chance for thunderstorms which could produce lightning, locally heavy rainfall, and locally stronger winds. Seas will remain rough outside of protected waters through the forecast period. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Monday for Mry Bay-SF Bay N of Bay Bridge. Gale Warning until 3 AM PDT Monday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm. Gale Warning until 9 PM PDT this evening for Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm. Small Craft Advisory until 9 AM PDT Monday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm. Gale Warning until 3 PM PDT Monday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10- 60 NM. Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PDT Monday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM. && $$ SHORT TERM...DialH LONG TERM....DialH AVIATION...Sarment MARINE...Sarment Visit us at www.weather.gov/sanfrancisco Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/nwsbayarea www.twitter.com/nwsbayarea www.youtube.com/nwsbayarea