Sunny skies expected to give way to incoming storm

Light rain was expected to shower the Bay Area throughout today and Sunday, with colder weather following into the early days of next week.

Rachel Kennedy, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Friday afternoon that rain was expected to fall all day today; the day also will see some potential for thunder and lightning scattered throughout the entire Bay Area from the afternoon to the early nighttime.

The cold front that was expected to come in from the North Bay area slowed down Friday morning, reaching Santa Rosa between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., said Kennedy. Though the first bit of rain still was expected to fall by Friday afternoon, the delayed cold front pushed the timing back by a few hours, Kennedy said.

San Francisco and the East Bay still were expected to see rain by the start of Friday evening, with the South Bay getting its own showers a few hours later. Kennedy forecast less than an inch of rainfall throughout most of the Bay Area by the time the storm fades Sunday.

Some rain-prone areas, like the Santa Cruz mountains and the highest points of Monterey County may receive between 1 and 1.5 inches of rainfall.

Kennedy said areas in the Sierra Nevada were forecast to receive 1-3 feet of snowfall. Between 3 and 8 inches of snow are expected to fall in areas around Lake Tahoe.

A winter weather advisory was in place for those traveling from the Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada until Sunday. Travelers may experience potential travel delays, slick roads and chain controls this weekend, said Matt Mehle, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The highs today throughout much of the Bay Area were projected between the upper 50s and low 60s.

The lows tonight are forecast to reach the mid- to upper 40s in most areas.

Sunday and Monday will see a slight cooling trend, Kennedy said, and Tuesday will mark the beginning of slightly warmer weather, with temperatures expected to peak around the mid-60s.