As light rain returns, what to expect for rest of week

The Bay Area woke up Monday to the return of light rain and cool temperatures — a drastic change from last week’s heat wave that broke records across the region.

A weak front passing through the Bay Area brought light rain and gusty winds through Monday morning, with the South Bay and East Bay seeing the most precipitation, the National Weather Service said.

Dry weather was expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Another chance of light precipitation will return Thursday, weather officials said.

“It’s not any type of major accumulations, but any rain is good rain in my opinion,” said meteorologist David King.

The Bay Area’s higher peaks received up to a half inch of rain on Monday, with lower elevations seeing from a few hundredths to about 0.25 inches, the weather service said.

King said while the light rain should help fire concerns in the short term, the rainfall is not likely to have a significant impact on drought conditions.

“There’s no such thing as bad rain around the Bay Area because it’s always beneficial,” he said. “But it is limited.”

Winds could reach 50 mph in higher elevations and up to 45 mph in coastal cities, weather officials said.

The Sierra Nevada — where the snowpack was a meager 38% of average as of April 1, the lowest peak accumulation in seven years — was expected to receive moderate snow through 8 p.m. Monday, according to the weather service in Sacramento. Up to 14 inches of snow was predicted to fall in the southern Cascades and northern Sierra above 4,500 feet, weather officials said.

Chain controls were in effect Monday in several mountain passes, and travelers were warned of travel delays and reduced visibility on roads. Drivers can check road conditions and chain requirements at https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.