The Bay Area weathers the balance between the familiar and the fluctuating this week, as noted by the National Weather Service (NWS). San Francisco is basking in sunny forecasts for today, with highs nearing a temperate 70 degrees. The gentle sway of the day will find the wind picking up to 16 mph in the afternoon, tussling the city in gusts that could reach 23 mph. "Breezy onshore winds and temperatures near seasonal averages prevailing through Thursday," reports the NWS Bay Area, laying the groundwork for what residents can expect in the coming days.
Temperatures will take a slight dip as we move through the week, with Wednesday's high cresting at a more subdued 63 degrees. The winds are slated to stubbornly persist, reaching again upwards of 17 mph, an echo of today's gusty ambiance. Despite the wind's best attempts to unsettle, the Bay Area maintains a semblance of tranquility, with the National Weather Service forecasting "another warming trend for the weekend." Residents can look forward to a sunny Saturday, with the thermometer expected to rise to a comfortable 71 degrees, which is sure to please those making outdoor plans.
In the evening, San Franciscans can expect partly cloudy skies with low temperatures hovering around the mid-50s, providing a cool respite from the daytime warmth. The consistent marine influence, a touchstone of our region's climate, will bring nightly cloud cover this week, though it will likely clear by the afternoons, according to the detailed forecast by NWS Bay Area.
Moving past the solace of a predictable forecast, hazy conditions may intrude upon our blue skies due to the lingering smoke from northern fires. The Bay Area, often spared from the direct fury of these blazes, might still find its air quality marred. "Smoke from the Point Fire in northwestern Sonoma County and the Sites Fire in Colusa County is expected to travel towards the south and southeast," impacting the local atmosphere, the NWS Bay Area foresightedly advises. While this unwanted visitor is predicted to remain mostly aesthetic, denizens of the North Bay and surrounding regions should be mindful of the potential for lowered visibility.
Mariners, too, will need to navigate cautiously as "breezy to gusty northerly/northwesterly winds continue," with significant wave heights expected to build for those at sea. Those in small crafts have advisories in place well into Wednesday evening, reminding us that even as we go about our routines, nature commands its respect, according to the National Weather Service.
