Sunny days ahead for the Bay Area
Weekend forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s and 80s
It was her day off, but Veronica Friend of Richmond commuted into San Francisco on Wednesday to soak up the sun in Union Square and sip a cold drink within sight of where she works, Macy’s.
“I might go to (Ocean) Beach. It’s something I kind of miss about the city,” the 22-year-old woman said of her weekend plans. “It’s the best one.”
Friend likely won’t be alone when she hits the beach. A sunfilled weekend is in store for Bay Area residents as a warming trend is forecast to send temperatures into the 70s in San Francisco and possibly the 80s in other cities throughout the region, forecasters
“Everyone is going to be going to the beaches since this weekend is looking pretty good.” Brian Mejia, National Weather Service meteorologist
said.
“It’s springtime,” said Brian Mejia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “It actually will be a great weekend.”
Before the sun soaks the region, a slight chance of rain was forecast for Wednesday night with breezy weather Thursday, Mejia added.
“We are strongly considering a wind advisory, especially for the higher elevation areas,” Mejia said.
Gusts at higher elevations, including the Santa Cruz Mountains and East Bay hills, could reach 45 mph. In San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose, gusts could top 35 mph.
“No matter where you are in the Bay Area, it’s going to be pretty breezy,” Mejia said.
Despite the blustery forecast for Thursday, temperatures will remain in the high 60s for San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. It will be slightly cooler along the coastline, Mejia said, with highs in the low 60s.
Droves of tourists filled Union
Square on Wednesday to get a jump on the sunny weather.
Mishelle Lloyd, 47, was visiting San Francisco from Suffolk, England, with her husband, 12-year-old daughter and 19-year-old son.
“It’s better than the U.K.,” Lloyd, wearing oversized sunglasses, said as she tilted her face toward the sun.
Visiting the city from Portland, Ore., Jill Bryant, 49, was basking in the rays while eating a burrito on the steps at Union Square.
“I’m capturing the sun,” Bryant said as she munched on her lunch. “We were desperate to get out of the rain,” she added, referring to record rainfall Portland has received this winter.
On Friday, temperatures in San Francisco will reach 71 degrees, 75 degrees in Oakland and 77 in San Jose, Mejia said.
“We don’t have any rain chances,” Mejia said of the weekend forecast.
San Francisco and the East Bay will remain in the low to mid 70s for the entire weekend. San Jose will be in the mid to upper 70s.
Anyone preparing to hit area beaches this weekend should be aware of hazards along the San Francisco and San Mateo coast, including enhanced risks of rip currents and high surf, Mejia warned.
“Everyone is going to be going to the beaches since this weekend is looking pretty good, pretty nice,” Mejia said. “We just want to be cautious and let people know that it might be a great weather day, but it’s still going to be dangerous on the beach.”
For now, it looks like Bay Area residents won’t have to pull out their umbrellas again until the middle of next week.
“Some of our forecast models are trending toward a wet pattern,” Mejia said.
And the sunny weekend weather isn’t exclusive to the Bay Area.
Jim Mathews, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said that a storm moving into the Sierra late Wednesday and into Thursday “doesn’t look like a significant snow producer” and that the weekend should bring plenty of sunshine to the ski slopes.
The Tahoe area will receive about 3 inches of snow by Thursday, but Saturday will remain primarily dry, Mathews said.
Another Sierra storm on tap Sunday is not expected to produce more than a dusting, Mathews said.
“We will have some nice spring weather,” Mathews said.