Freezing temperatures in Bay Area far from finished

SAN FRANCISCO — A bitter cold snap pushed overnight and early-morning temperatures below freezing for much of the Bay Area as another icy night approaches, prompting many residents to bundle up and crank up the heat.

Sunday’s clear skies and chilly weather came as the latest in a string of cold days as a winterlike, biting blast set in last week, dropping the mercury over the Thanksgiving holiday and through the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for the inland valleys, much of Napa and Sonoma County, and the South Bay. A less critical frost advisory was issued for San Francisco, the Peninsula and coastal areas from Point Reyes National Seashore south to Monterey.

Brisk overnight winds in the North Bay pushed temperatures down an impressive 10 degrees from the previous evening, forecasters said. Napa dipped to 24 while Sonoma fell to 27 degrees. Parts of Sebastopol, Graton, Healdsburg and Petaluma registered in the upper teens and lower 20s

Overnight lows hit 28 degrees in Livermore and hovered around the freezing mark in the South Bay.

Several San Francisco churches have made their facilities available as warm refuges for the homeless and will continue to bring in people through February.

Officials warn to take care of pets and plants that may be particularly vulnerable to the overnight freeze.

A weak storm system will trickle though the North Bay on Monday afternoon, bringing a slight chance of showers to some areas, but more than likely, any clouds will fizzle out when they hit the dry stagnant air mass over the region, forecasters said.

A stronger storm system, though, may move in early Thursday, bringing moderate amounts of rain to the Bay Area.