Cooler temperatures rush in, but don’t count on much rain
The cool weather the Bay Area pleaded for as it sweated through last week came Thursday, but the hopedfor weekend rain was unlikely to arrive, dashing hopes that Mother Nature might chip in toward the ongoing fire fights across Northern California.
Forecasts that once called for as much as an inch of rain over three days only projected a chance of drizzle near the coast — and even that was iffy, said Brayden Murdock, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“Chances are looking very thin for any part of the Bay Area,” he said.
Instead, the weather system pushing in from the Pacific was likely to head north into Oregon, perhaps leaving a smattering of rain at the very northern edges of the state. That system could drop between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch of rain, with the possibility of some of it dampening the area around the millionacre August Complex Fire, which stretches across seven counties, and the northern edge of the Zogg Fire, which was at 56,338 acres Thursday and 90% contained.
Should any rain sneak this far south, it would be minimal, said Dave Valenzuela, a spokesman for Cal Fire.
“It wouldn’t be enough to change anything,” he said. “Maybe just a dusting — not
“Crews still out there making sure we’re getting to hot spots.” Dave Valenzuela, Cal Fire spokesman
enough to make a difference.”
Even without rain, firefighters continue to gain control of the Glass Fire, which is still active in northern Napa County. The fire is 66% contained after devouring 67,420 acres and destroying 639 homes and 355 business structures, many of them at wineries. Full containment is expected by Oct. 20, according to Cal Fire. Many evacuation orders have been lifted, residents are returning to their homes, or what remains of them, and fire crews and utilities are making other areas safe for return.
“We’re winding down,” Valenzuela said. “Crews still out there making sure we’re getting to hot spots, which are in areas that are tough to get to.”
While chances of rain have all but vanished, cooler temperatures are expected to set in for the next three days. For the first time in a long time, high temperatures inland — in the Glass Fire area and the rest of the North Bay, and places like Brentwood and Livermore — should reach only in the 70s, 20 to 30 degrees lower than last week in some places.
The forecast calls for San Francisco to be even chillier with a high of 58 near the coast and 61 downtown. Elsewhere around the bay, temperatures are expected to range from the upper 60s to mid70s and the 70s in the South Bay.
A Spare the Air alert remains in effect through Saturday, but air quality readings Thursday were mostly in the moderate range, except in the North Bay, where the Glass Fire continues burning. Air quality forecasts warn that conditions will be unhealthy in the North Bay for people with breathing sensitivities.
Warmer weather will return next week, Murdock said, but temperatures will be more temperate, reaching only into the upper 80s inland and 74 in San Francisco by Tuesday, which is expected to be the hottest day. Along with the rising temperatures, winds will begin to flow toward the coast and humidity levels will drop, increasing fire danger.
Aside from some occasional moist mornings along the coast, Murdock said, there’s no sign of moisture in the forecast.