Cold front to bring freezing temperatures to Bay Area

Lows are forecast to drop into the low 30s for most of the region from today through Tuesday

An incoming cold front is expected to bring freezing overnight temperatures across the Bay Area today and into the coming week, prompting warnings to protect unsheltered people from the frigid conditions.

Overnight lows are forecast to drop into the low 30s throughout most of the region from today through Tuesday, with temperatures dipping into the high 20s in parts of the North Bay and inland areas in the East Bay. Scattered showers also are expected this evening and afternoon, with the South Bay seeing the most rainfall.

Ahead of the bitter cold, the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for the entire Bay Area, except San Francisco, lasting from tonight into Monday morning.

“These temperatures being this cold, those conditions are extremely hazardous, especially for folks that are unsheltered,” said Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the weather service.

A dozen overnight warming centers are set to open across Santa Clara County during the cold spell, though they are not scheduled to begin accepting people until after tonight. But outreach workers plan to visit encampments and distribute blankets, ponchos, tarps and tents.

In Alameda County, around 10 emergency shelters and warming centers are set to be open. And Marin County plans to open a winter shelter in San Rafael.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Alameda County, meanwhile, is encouraging anyone who needs refuge from the cold to visit its 100-bed shelter in West Oakland.

“There are beds available,” said executive director Blase Bova. “We need to keep reminding people that yes, we do have space.”

Authorities recommend people seeking shelter call 211 for help finding a bed.

Today, the meager rainfall is expected to total at most a quarter inch in some areas south of the Golden Gate Bridge, Miller said.

Along with the rain and freezing temperatures, today and Monday are forecast to be blustery, with dangerous wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph expected in the North Bay mountains and valleys, triggering a wind advisory for parts of Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Range farther down the Central Coast, elevations above 2,500 feet could see a dusting of snow.

Despite the freezing overnight conditions, daytime temperatures across the Bay Area should be relatively mild during the cold spell, with highs reaching the mid-50s.