Unsettled weather pattern expected to bring scattered rain to Bay Area

MONTEREY >> An unsettled weather pattern will return to the Bay Area and Central Coast this weekend, bringing breezy, cool conditions and scattered rain showers, according to the National Weather Service.

Much of the region will see sprinkles starting this morning on into the afternoon, with San Jose, Oakland and inland areas of the East Bay expecting to receive a few hundredths of an inch.

The bulk of the rainfall will hit northern areas like Sonoma County, which may get up to a tenth of an inch, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Bingaman.

“It's not a lot, but enough that if you're celebrating Mother's Day outdoors, you may want to make sure mom has an umbrella and a warm sweater,” Bingaman said.

The rainy season that started Oct. 1 has not been much help with statewide drought conditions. San Jose, for instance, has seen just 57% of the rainfall it does in a normal rainy season.

But cooler temperatures and some moisture could ease wildfire conditions, which seem to be arriving earlier every year.

By the time the rain tapers off on Monday, the region may also begin to see isolated thunderstorms. It's difficult for meteorologists to predict exactly where and when a thunderstorm might occur, but “everyone should be on alert,” Bingaman said.

“If you start to hear the rumble of thunder in the distance, that's definitely a sure sign that you need to take shelter” from possible lightning nearby, she added. “Thunderstorm clouds tend to really build on themselves — they're very tall.”

Daytime temperatures through early next week will be 10 to 15 degrees below average, while overnight and morning temperatures are expected to be 5 to 10 degrees below average.

Daytime temperatures will peak in the mid to upper 50s on the coast and lower 60s in interior areas, while overnight temperatures will fall into the 40s near the coast and Bay shorelines and the mid- to upper 30s inland, according to the weather service. Things should start to warm up by Wednesday.

The forecast also calls for breezy winds, with gusts of 25 to 45 mph, throughout the weekend and early next week. The conditions could make driving and boating dangerous.