Bay Area residents should keep their rain boots and umbrellas ready, as post-frontal rain showers with a slim chance for thunderstorms hang over the region today, particularly in Southern Monterey and San Benito Counties and the adjacent waters. According to the National Weather Service in San Francisco, these conditions may include unwelcome guests such as lightning, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and occasional hail, demanding caution during today's commutes.
Drivers should be wary of urban flooding and erratic winds, referred to as "stormy weather", which is expected to wane as the surface low-pressure system and associated cold front lose their grip throughout the day, with chances for showers and thunderstorms fading by midnight. With up to a 15% chance of thunderstorms, a silver lining emerges, as "locally heavy rainfall resulting in nuisance/urban flooding, erratic/gusty winds, small hail, and waterspouts" might cool down the heated pavement, as noted by NWS San Francisco. Motorists should remember the motto: turn around, don't drown.
Additionally, Mount Diablo's NOAA Weather Radio transmission in Contra Costa County is currently off air due to technical difficulties, provoking a digital silence atop its peaks. While technicians tackle the issue without a set timetable for repair, alternative weather programming can be caught on air from San Francisco and Monterey broadcasts, albeit with the public's patience stretched during this inconvenience.
The week forecasts a warming trend from Wednesday through Saturday, hinting at a brief respite from the dampness. Yet, the long view reveals a typology of instability, with "unsettled weather returns Sunday," potentially upsetting outdoor plans at the week's close, per the NWS San Francisco. The fine balance between a persistent high pressure and a looming trough stirs the pot of uncertainty, with guidance/models at a split decision regarding the forecast for the start of next week.
