The Bay Area's seemingly endless summer might finally be cooling down, just in time for an unusual weather event: rain in August. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) for the San Francisco Bay Area, today will continue to be warm, but things will start to change as early as Thursday. A unique August cold front is expected to bring a dip in temperatures, gusty winds, and a chance of rain on Friday and Saturday.
Meteorologists are tracking an upper-level low-pressure system from the Alaska Panhandle toward the Pacific Northwest. "Temperatures will remain warm today, perhaps as many as 5 degrees cooler than yesterday's highs," the National Weather Service San Francisco stated, with an anticipated slide to more moderate zones by Friday. Highs will max out in the mid-80s to mid-90s inland, bayside areas will stay in the upper 60s to 70s, and coastal areas will range in the upper 50s to mid-60s.
In a statement to NWS, officials outlined the expected changes for the week's latter half. There is high confidence in this cooling trend as clusters agree with the timing and position of the trough, noting that the coolest day will likely be Friday. Additionally, the chances of rain are more promising to the north, with the North Bay facing a 10-40% chance, though any rainfall should be light and under 0.10 inches.
The chilly intermission, however, will not overstay its welcome. After the cold front sweeps through, temperatures are predicted to bounce back as a high-pressure system moves over the Eastern Pacific. "This will bring a warming trend back to the region for the upcoming work week," the National Weather Service explained, which suggests the sweater weather might be short-lived. Yet, in a post from NWSBayArea, we're reminded that "it may not look like much, but the band of clouds over British Columbia is the disturbance that will result in a cooling trend starting on Thursday and giving us a chance of light rain".
According to the National Weather Service, for those navigating the skies, aviation forecasts expect "W/NW winds return this afternoon, with gusts nearing 20 knots for select terminals, higher at KSFO." As for maritime concerns, sturdy northwesterly winds are said to persist until the weekend. In not so many words, it might be wise for Bay Area sailors and pilots to brace for a bit of a breezy ride.
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