The Bay Area is bracing for a weekend of wet and wild weather, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The region can expect showers today, culminating in possible thunderstorms on Saturday complete with lightning, small hail, and heavy rain. The NWS Bay Area took to X to advise residents to stay "weather aware this weekend!" as they prepare for the incoming storms.

Showers arrive today into tonight with rain chances persisting through Saturday. A few thunderstorms are possible on Saturday as well with lightning, locally heavy rain, and perhaps some small hail as well. Stay weather aware this weekend! #cawx pic.twitter.com/xcq7wPybF1

— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) March 22, 2024

In a detailed forecast, the NWS announced that these unsettled conditions are due to a "vertically stacked low pressure system" which will usher in a cold front from the northwest to southeast today. "Rain chances will first increase across the North Bay during the late morning to early afternoon hours, then across SF during the mid afternoon hours, before reaching the Central Coast during the late afternoon and evening." said the NWS in their Area Forecast Discussion. Gusts could ramp up between 25-30 mph at lower elevations and could hit around 45 mph at ridgetop gusts. The potential for wind and rain may be minor, but the NWS warns of possible localized issues including ponding on roadways or the odd fallen tree.

As temperatures drop overnight, the NWS predicts a new wave of scattered showers and a 10-15% chance of isolated thunderstorms. The associated risks are primarily lightning and bursts of heavy rainfall, though rain amounts should generally remain light unless areas are caught under a heavier shower or storm. Temperatures are expected to range from 60 in the North Bay to the mid-upper 60s in some inland parts of the Central Coast today with lows dipping into the 40s, and some 30s in the higher terrain.

Conditions are not expected to improve significantly heading into Saturday, the NWS indicated potential for scattered thunderstorms, which might include gusty winds, downpours, and small hail due to the region's heightened instability and steep atmospheric lapse rates. "While deep layer shear is modest and largely unidirectional by afternoon the environment appears favorable for isolated to perhaps scattered thunderstorms," according to the NWS forecast. Rain totals could vary widely across the region, with the chance of localized flooding in sensitive urban areas.

The mercury will take a dip over the weekend with daytime highs in the mid-50s to around 60 on Saturday and similar readings expected on Sunday. The turbulent weather will give way to drier conditions early next week, with rain chances resurfacing by mid to late week. For air and marine travelers, expect challenges as the NWS highlights gusty winds and a chance for thunderstorm conditions that could affect both terrain and coastal areas through to Sunday morning. The marine advisory warns of "fresh southerly breezes" and "strong northwesterly breezes," indicating turbulent conditions for those on the waters.