Wet, cool conditions for Bay Area, snow for Sierra

Whistling winds that rattled many Bay Area windows and trees over the weekend started to give way to wetter, cooler conditions Monday, a pattern the National Weather Service said will continue later this week.

By 10 a.m., rain measured from a few hundredths of an inch to about one-tenth of an inch fell in the interior valleys, according to the weather service. Between a quarter-inch and half-inch had fallen in the coastal ranges, and more than an inch fell in the Marin Peninsula south of Mount Tamalpais, the weather service said.

“It's moving southward,” meteorologist David King said.

The bigger issue was the wind, Garcia said. Winds gusted up to 30 mph in most high elevations, including Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais, according to the weather service. Those winds were a bit lighter than Sunday night, when gusts between 40 to 60 mph in some North Bay locations led to an alert for the East Bay hills and North Bay interior mountains.

As the system moves south, Garcia said conditions will continue to improve, and that by Tuesday, “we should have a quieter day.”

Cooler temperatures will also continue, coming as a break after last week's record-breaking highs, with most temperatures at least five to seven degrees below average for the week.

Those chilly conditions meant snow in Tahoe and along the Sierra, with over a foot expected atop the region's highest peaks and at least a couple of inches over 4,500 feet.

A winter weather advisory was in effect in the Sierra Nevada on Monday, and the weather service said 6-12 inches of snow was possible.

Wind gusts were expected to gust up to 70 mph, according to the weather service.

Similar conditions are expected through midweek, until a second lowpressure system due in from the British Columbian coast will bring more rain to Northern California. That system's effect on the Bay Area appears less certain for now, with rain chances best for North Bay cities, according to the weather service.