Chilly temps, wet weather return to rain-soaked Bay Area; possible snow dusting in South Bay
Some of the coldest temperatures of the season were being felt in the Bay Area Wednesday accompanied by a new round of wet weather that could result in a dusting of snow on the highest peaks of the South Bay.
The rain and wind returned Wednesday morning to parts of the Bay Area but the National Weather Service said the latest storm system would not be as impactful as last week's storms. Rainfall totals across the region generally will be about a half-inch or less, except for the Santa Cruz Mountains and farther south toward the Santa Lucia Mountains where they may see about an inch and close to two inches, respectively.
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The weather service said winds will pick up during the day out of the northwest, gusting up to 20 to 25 mph at lower elevations, and closer to 30 mph at higher elevations, not nearly as strong as some of the hurricane-force wind gusts during the last storm. By Wednesday evening, the showers will become much more scattered and linger into Thursday along with a decrease in the gusty winds.
A cold air mass accompanying the storm system will provide a chance for some limited snowfall, possibly on Mount Hamilton in the South Bay and also over the Santa Lucia Mountains farther south. Low temperatures in the region generally will drop into the low 40s to upper 30s. In some parts, specifically the North Bay Valleys, Salinas Valley and San Benito County, temperatures could drop into the mid to low 30s, prompting the weather service to issue a Frost Advisory for those areas beginning late Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
The weather service advised that even though this next round of rain will be largely light to moderate, with soils saturated from the last two storm systems, any additional rainfall will still pose the potential for minor flooding and rises in creeks and streams.
By Friday, warmer temperatures are clearer skies will return and last into the weekend. High temperatures going into the weekend are expected to be in the upper 50s to low 60s.