‘Bone-dry,’ freezing weather washes over the region
North Bay numbers dip into the mid-20s with extemely low moisture
The Bay Area will experience a wave of unusually cold, dry weather over the next few days as winds calm down across the region, the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures dipped to around 32 degrees across much of the North Bay going into Wednesday morning, including Santa Rosa,
Petaluma and Novato, the NWS said.
Humidity levels also dropped. In Half Moon Bay, humidity hovered at just 8.5% Wednesday — an eye-popping number compared with typical levels of around 5060% this time of year, said NWS meteorologist Drew Peterson.
“We’re at the other end of the spectrum, where there’s not a cloud in the sky and it’s bonedry. What’s unusual about it is just how dry it is,” Peterson said.
The conditions are forecast to continue during the next few days, with lowest temperatures projected for Wednesday night. In the North Bay and Oakland hills, temperatures will plunge to the mid-20s, and much of the rest of the Bay will see lows in the mid30s and 40s.
A wave of freezing temperatures is common at the tail end of offshore wind events, Peterson said, as a dry air mass manifests across the region. It’s so dry, he added, that frost is unlikely despite the chilly weather.
Still, the changing conditions provide a respite when it comes to wind: Even as North Bay winds continued to gust at about 40 mph on Wednesday, they’re projected
to calm down throughout the morning from Cloverdale to Santa Rosa where the Kincade fire has consumed
more than 76,000 acres.
Existing winds are forecast to push smoke offshore to the west, which will help improve air quality after several days of “Spare the Air” alerts, Peterson said.
In the North Bay, air quality remains at levels unhealthful for sensitive groups, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
“By mid- to late morning, the winds will more or less have ended,” Peterson said. “We’re at the tail end of this.”