Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

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528
FXUS66 KMTR 082032
AFDMTR

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
132 PM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026

...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 132 PM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026

 - Near normal temperatures Monday and Tuesday.

 - Breezy conditions along the coast and coastal mountains
   Monday.

 - Warming conditions Wednesday through Friday.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
Issued at 132 PM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026
(Tonight through Monday)

High pressure aloft that has been nosing over our service area the
last couple days is slowly weakening while retreating out to sea.
This has allowed for weak upper ridge axis to establish just off
the coast with a weak thermal trough surface reflection. This
thermal trough will be fairly short lived, but is has allowed weak
offshore flow to remain just a little longer than expected. As the
afternoon ticks on the ridge will continue to retreat, eroding the
offshore thermal trough. Heating across the land areas will
generate another thermal through and help to induce onshore flow
to develop. This has already begun in some areas. Onshore flow
will impact all regions of our service area by early this evening.
As a result, expect low clouds and some patchy fog to develop this
evening and overnight. This marine layer should be about 1000-1500
feet in depth and should erode fairly quickly tomorrow morning as
weak offshore winds at 925 mb develops for a short time. After the
morning low clouds and fog erode, Monday will be another nice day,
but on the cooler side. Relative to what we`ve had of course.
Temperatures will drift towards climatology the next couple days.
As part of this gentle pattern shift, we`ll see a weak dry
boundary (seen in OPC charts) come into the area on Monday. Given
that high pressure remains anchored and stout over the Eastern
Pacific, low pressure over us means a tightening pressure gradient
over the coastal waters. In turn, this means increasing winds out
of the Northwest for Monday. Look for breezy conditions along the
coast and the coastal mountains through the day on Monday.

&&

.LONG TERM...
Issued at 132 PM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026
(Monday night through next Saturday)

Monday night will bring another night of low clouds and fog for
the service area. Tuesday will be the closest we get to seasonal
normal temperatures as a broad upper trough passes just North of
the area. On the backside of the upper trough another upper ridge
will build. Unlike the last one with a West <-> East orientation,
the one building midweek will have a classic North-South ridge
axis. This will bring rapidly warming temperatures to our entire
area with the highest temperatures in East and South Bays and the
Central Coast. While models are consistent with the warm up, the
closer to water, the wider the spectrum of solutions. Inland
locations have fairly tight spreads of probabilities. In general
Wed-Fri, models have spread of temperature from the mid 70s to the
upper 80s, depending on location. Temps should moderate next
weekend as the ridge retreats slightly before building back
stronger the week of the 15th. The next shot at any liquid water
falling from the sky won`t be until the last week of March and
into April. By that point the odds of receiving beneficial
amounts starts to plummet. As of Sat 7 Mar, our service is
standing about 75-125% of normal on the water year, which began 1
Oct 2025.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1054 AM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026 VFR will be the story of
Sunday. At least most of it. Winds will be shifting from offshore
to onshore late this morning into the afternoon, which will give a
path for low level moisture to work its way back into the Bay
Area and Central Coast. Expect low cigs and some local reduction
in vsby for a time overnight. Clearing on Monday should occur mid
to late morning.

Vicinity of SFO...VFR. Weak winds from the NE will shift and come
from the NW over the next couple hours. This will allow for the
marine layer to start working its way into the area. Expect low
clouds and possible vsby reduction overnight as the marine layer
settles in. Clouds are expected to clear out mid Monday morning,
around 10 AM.

SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO. It`ll take another hour for
the clouds to develop overnight and will clear out about an hour
earlier than SFO proper.

Monterey Bay Terminals...VFR today. Onshore flow will develop
today which will increase humidity levels through the day. Look
for clouds to start developing late afternoon into the early
evening. Clouds could make a showing at the surface causing some
local reductions in vsby. Clearing should occur by mid morning
Monday.

&&

.MARINE...
(Today through Friday)
Issued at 848 AM PDT Sun Mar 8 2026

Conditions will rapidly deteriorate tonight into Monday as gales
develop. Expect very rough conditions into Tuesday. San Francisco
Bay and Monterey Bay are expecting rough conditions on Monday.

&&

.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 3 PM Monday to 3 AM PDT Tuesday for
     Mry Bay.

     Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Tuesday for Pt Arena to Pt
     Reyes 0-10 nm.

     Small Craft Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 3 AM PDT Tuesday
     for Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.

     Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM Monday to 3 AM PDT Tuesday for
     Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras
     Blancas 0-10 nm.

     Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PDT this afternoon for Pt Arena
     to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM.

     Gale Warning until 3 AM PDT Tuesday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-
     60 NM.

     Small Craft Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 3 AM PDT Monday
     for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM.

     Gale Warning from 3 AM Monday to 3 AM PDT Tuesday for Pigeon Pt
     to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...BFG
LONG TERM....BFG
AVIATION...BFG
MARINE...BFG

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