Cold front brings rain showers, some snow, possible thunderstorms to Bay Area

The Bay Area was in for another soaking Thursday as a cold front was bringing rain showers with possible thunderstorms as well as some snow at the highest elevations in the region.

The National Weather Service said the Bay Area will see widely scattered showers and a 25 to 35% chance of thunderstorms as a cold air mass settles into the region. Any thunderstorms that develop will have the potential to produce copious amounts of small hail, the weather service said.  

Daytime highs are expected to be mostly in the 50s in the region. Overnight lows will be mostly in the 40s, with some areas dropping into the upper 30s. The unsettled conditions will persist into Friday along with chilly temperatures. 

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Snow levels will drop to the 2,000- to 2,500-foot level Thursday night as some low temperatures would drop into the 30s across higher terrains, the weather service said. Snow was falling at Mount Hamilton east of San Jose early Thursday and a dusting of snow was also seen in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The weather service noted that the combination of rain and below-normal temperatures will impact people without adequate shelter. 

Rainfall amounts through Friday night are predicted to be 0.25 to 0.75 inches for most areas, up to 1.25 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and up to 1.75 inches in the Santa Lucia Mountains. 

Snowfall could reach a few inches in the highest peaks of the North Bay, up to 3 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains, up to 5 inches in the Diablo Range, and 6-12 inches in the Santa Lucia Range.

The precipitation will taper off late Friday into Saturday. Temperatures are expected to remain cool through the weekend with warmer and drier conditions returning next week.