The Bay Area woke up to patchy dense fog this Thursday morning, with the National Weather Service issuing a Dense Fog Advisory until 10 am. Commuters in the North Bay valleys found themselves in pea soup, with visibility slashed to less than a quarter-mile. The NWS recommended drivers to "please slow down on the roads, use low beam headlights and allow extra time to reach your destination."
Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until 10 am today. Visibility less than 1/4 mile in patchy dense fog in the North Bay valleys. Please slow down on the roads, use low beam headlights and allow extra time to reach your destination. Visibility improving by late morning. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/oFMVIMnINf
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) February 22, 2024
Despite the foggy start, the weather story is about to take an uninspiring turn; locals can expect dry conditions to dominate through the weekend. Although Sunday might spot some showers, the National Weather Service San Francisco CA predicted no major impacts, a brief celestial ballet of clouds and sun, afternoon temperatures nudging into the lower to mid 60s a couple of degrees warmer than Wednesday.
Looking ahead, Friday could witness a theatrical sky with a mix of clouds possibly unfurling virga or rogue showers — a performance courtesy of a subtle convective dance aloft; "Model forecasts are dry during this period, however there may be an increase in clouds Friday morning and weak layer instability may produce virga or a few isolated showers during the day," the NWS reported. Friday's daylight will also see a shift in winds, which may influence how morning lows play hide and seek under the cloud cover.
Aviation-wise, while dense fog has curtailed visibility at some airports like STS and APC, SFO is currently basking in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) clarity, "Currently VFR and calm. VFR through the TAF period," according to the weather briefing; not to be left behind Monterey Bay terminals are riding the VFR wave as well, albeit with some breezy conditions to deal with nonchalantly brushing off the fog's embrace as if it's just another mild inconvenience.
Marine conditions are set to be a respite from any drama, serving up dry and tranquil winds with some modest northwesterly swell staying the course into next week, while Sunday could toss in light rain into the briny mix.
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