Bay Area beachgoers and mariners are in for a flurry of activity both along the coast and in the weather this weekend into early next week, as the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area points to the arrival of high surf and rain. A statement from the NWS San Francisco forecasts a long period of westerly to northwesterly swell hitting the West Coast late this week and early next week, which may necessitate High Surf Advisories, cautioning residents and visitors alike: "Never turn your back to the ocean!"
Adding to the coastal concerns, the Area Forecast Discussion indicates mostly dry conditions today with widespread light rain slated to begin late tonight for the North Bay, spreading across much of the Bay Area on Friday though drying out for the weekend, expectedly holding this pattern into next week, the communities should prepare for a short burst of rainfall, unexpectedly followed by a warming and drying trend that aligns with the Climate Prediction Center's (CPC) outlook projecting temperatures above normal and precipitation below normal for this period.
In terms of aviation, pilots can anticipate VFR conditions lasting into this evening, but there will be a shift with MVFR to local IFR conditions developing in the North Bay late tonight into the early hours of Friday morning as the rain moves in. Meanwhile, for travelers in and out of SFO, light rain is expected by 12z Friday, but VFR should prevail, with the SFO Bridge Approach forecast looking similar according to the Aviation section of the forecast discussion.
Marine conditions are set to become increasingly tumultuous, with an incoming cold front expected to spur light rainfall Friday into Friday evening and moderate to long period swells coupled with northerly breezes creating potentially hazardous conditions Friday into Saturday. Furthermore, another long-period westerly swell is scheduled to hit Monday into Tuesday. The marine notice also includes a Small Craft Advisory effective at various times on Friday for sections around the Point Arena and Monterey Bay regions.
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