Lingering showers drying up ahead of Friday soaker; more rain, gusty winds on the way

The Bay Area was getting a few hours to dry up Thursday before the next storm system expected to bring significant rain and possibly damaging wind gusts on Friday.

Light showers lingered Thursday in scattered areas around the bay following Wednesday's storm front, although most locations were expected to stay dry. The National Weather Service said cloudy and cool conditions would stick around Thursday, with showers becoming more isolated into the evening. 

Daytime highs were expected to be mostly in the upper 50s to lower 60s, while overnight lows will be mostly in the upper 40s.

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Early Friday, showers will begin in the North Bay with the main rain band moving inland late Friday morning and into the afternoon, the weather service said. The rain will come with breezy to gusty winds as well as possible thunderstorms. A Wind Advisory was in effect for the Peninsula coast, Santa Cruz Mountains, East Bay Hills, coastal Monterey Bay, the Big Sur coast and San Benito County.

The rain will spread across the Bay Area and Central Coast Friday night through Saturday evening. Rainfall totals from early Friday through Sunday morning were expected to range from half an inch to an inch for most areas and an inch to 1.25 inches for coastal lowlands and the interior North Bay.

For higher elevations along the coast, 1.25 to 2 inches of rain are expected and above 2 inches for the highest coastal peaks; some isolated areas around the Big Sur coast could see more than 3 inches total. 

The weather service said after Sunday, a dry weather pattern will form over the California coast.