Freezing temps into the 20s may soon hit parts of Bay Area

FILE: People walk along Pier 14, with the Bay Bridge in the background, in San Francisco during a steady rainfall in 2020. After a severe winter storm, the Bay Area is expected to continue to experience heavy showers.

Following the severe winter storm that rolled through the Bay Area last week, residents can once again expect to see heavy rains in the region in the coming days.

"This week is all about the front half of the week," Brian Garcia, a San Francisco Bay Area meteorologist at the National Weather Service, told SFGATE. "We’ll have rain showers throughout the front half of the week, with some drying."

Garcia said rainfall totals through Wednesday could range from 1 to 3 inches in the San Francisco Bay Area. He said the region will see "scattered showers" until Wednesday morning before the skies begin to clear.

Gusty winds and cold temperatures are also expected to continue throughout the Bay Area this week. Garcia said the fiercest winds will come Monday, with gusts ranging from 25 to 40 mph, but "that's probably the windiest it’ll get."

The blustering winds may also lead to light hail and thunderstorms in the Bay Area on Monday, but things should ease up by Tuesday. NWS warned in a notice over the weekend that the strong winds may lead to fallen trees and subsequent power outages.

The precipitation comes thanks to three quick storm systems making their way through the Bay Area. The North Bay, East Bay and Peninsula can expect up to 1.5 inches of rain in lower elevations, while higher-elevation areas could see up to 2.5 inches. The South Bay is expected to receive only up to an inch of rain in lower elevations and up to 2.5 inches at higher ground, the NWS said. Santa Cruz is forecast to receive up to 2 inches of rain in lower-lying areas but up to 3 inches at higher elevations.

Garcia said regions above 2,000 feet are expected to continue to experience "icing problems." Snow is still forecast for these higher-elevation areas: The North and South Bay could receive up to 3 inches of snow, with up to 10 inches of snow in areas above 3,000 feet, the NWS said. Snow totals in the Monterey and San Benito mountains above 3,000 feet may be up to 6 inches, and over a foot could accumulate in Santa Lucia Mountains, the weather service said.

Bay Area residents, particularly those in the North Bay, should prepare for chilly mornings Wednesday through Friday, Garcia said. Temperatures could drop as low as upper 20s to low 30s in certain areas, with early Thursday morning predicted to be the coldest.

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