The holiday weekend's mild weather will be replaced Tuesday by a storm system bringing strong winds, chilly temperatures and the possibility of snow for some higher elevations around the greater Bay Area.
A wind advisory will be in effect from Tuesday afternoon through midday Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Gusts of 40-55 mph are expected in some areas, and 65 mph on the region's higher peaks.
Parts of the Bay Area could see light rain between Wednesday and Saturday, possibly accompanied by some thunder and hail, forecasters said.
A dusting of snow at elevations higher than 1,500 feet is possible for peaks in the East Bay and North Bay. The Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Lucia range are more likely to see accumulated snow, forecasters said.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s in interior valleys, with coastal communities remaining in the low 40s. The chilly temperatures will linger through the weekend and the region isn't expected to warm up until until Sunday and Monday next week, according to the weather service.
Tennessee said cold weather doesn’t scare him. He was rolling his worldly belongings to a San Rafael parking lot where he’s built an insulating layer around his tent.
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“This is a 2-to-3 inch layer of air pocket which holds your generated heat throughout the night,” he said.
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At the Marin County Office of Emergency Management, assistant manager Woody Baker Cohn prepared for the big chill and the high wind advisory.
But the winds this week may do less damage than the storms we experienced the past couple months.
“In terms of the trees coming down with the wind we think the danger is somewhat less now because of the storms we had earlier in January and December which weeded out the more fragile trees. Particularly with the ground being so saturated,” said Baker Cohn.
He notified county health and human services of the upcoming winds and below freezing temperatures. If the forecast average nighttime low temperature is 38 degrees or less for three consecutive nights, HHS will open an overnight shelter for the unhoused.
