519
FXUS66 KMTR 180544
AFDMTR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
944 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
..NEW AVIATION, MARINE
SYNOPSIS
ISSUED AT 127 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY WITH POSSIBLE FOG AND
LOW STRATUS TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN
BEGINS THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND WITH MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF IMPACTFUL RAIN
AND WIND POSSIBLE.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 913 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
NO CHANGES TO THE FORECAST THIS EVENING. TULE FOG IS OBSERVED IN
THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WITH IT BUMPING UP AGAINST OUR COUNTIES.
THE FORECAST FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT IN OUR REGION REMAINS TRICKY AS
WE HAVE HIGH CLOUD PASSING OVER AND LIGHTER WINDS BEING OBSERVED
AT MOST POINTS. SHOULD THE CLOUDS THIN AND PERHAPS WINDS EASE,
THERE COULD BE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT.
SHORT TERM
(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
ISSUED AT 127 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
LOW STRATUS CLOUDS ARE SLOWLY CONTINUING TO MIX OUT INTO THE
AFTERNOON, WITH SOME PATCHES OF CLOUD COVER, INCLUDING EASTERN SAN
JOSE AND AREAS NEAR LIVERMORE, PERSISTING THROUGH THE DAY. LIGHT
WINDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE DAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES RANGING
FROM THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S IN THE INLAND VALLEYS, INTO THE MIDDLE
50S TO THE LOWER 60S ALONG THE COAST AND BAYSHORE. TONIGHT SEES
CHILLY TEMPERATURES, WITH LOWS REACHING THE UPPER 30S TO THE LOWER
40S IN THE INLAND VALLEYS AND THE MIDDLE 40S TO NEAR 50S NEAR THE
COAST, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A RETURN OF WIDESPREAD FOG AND LOW
STRATUS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH BAY AND THE NORTHERN BAY AREA.
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO ISSUE A DENSE FOG ADVISORY JUST
YET, BUT ONE MAY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY AS UPDATED MODEL GUIDANCE
COMES IN.
LONG TERM
(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)
ISSUED AT 127 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE STICKING AROUND THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF
FRIDAY, DRY CONDITIONS REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS WITH THE INLAND VALLEYS REACHING HIGHS IN THE UPPER
60S TO LOWER 70S ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. BUILDING LONG PERIOD
SWELL WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASED RISK FOR SNEAKER WAVES LATE
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY (SEE THE BEACHES SECTION FOR FURTHER
DETAILS).
LATER ON FRIDAY, THE PATTERN SHIFTS TO BRING MORE ACTIVE WEATHER
INTO THE REGION. ENSEMBLE MODEL GUIDANCE IS BEGINNING TO COALESCE ON
MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF IMPACTFUL RAIN AND WIND BEGINNING THIS WEEKEND
AND POTENTIALLY EXTENDING PAST CHRISTMAS DAY. THE INITIAL ROUND OF
RAIN LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WILL BRING AROUND 0.5-1.5" OF RAIN
ACROSS THE NORTH BAY AND LESS THAN 0.3" EVERYWHERE ELSE (ALTHOUGH
SOME ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHOW RAINFALL TOTALS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER),
WITH TOTALS DECREASING THE FURTHER SOUTH YOU GO. THE WEATHER
PREDICTION CENTER HAS WENT AHEAD WITH A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE
RAINFALL (AT LEAST A 5% CHANCE OF EXCEEDING FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE)
ACROSS SONOMA COUNTY AND NEARBY PORTIONS OF NORTHERN MARIN AND
WESTERN NAPA COUNTIES. IN ADDITION TO THE IMMEDIATE IMPACTS OF THE
RAINFALL, THIS SYSTEM WILL SET UP ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS FOR FURTHER
SYSTEMS TO CONTINUALLY INCREASE THE FLOODING RISK AS SOILS SATURATE
AND CREEKS FILL. BY CHRISTMAS EVE, THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS
ALREADY SHOWING A MODERATE RISK (40-60% PROBABILITY) OF HEAVY
PRECIPITATION AND HIGH WINDS. THE RISK FOR HIGH WINDS EXTENDS INTO
THE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, WHILE THE CPC OUTLOOK SUGGESTS TWO
DISTINCT DANGER PERIODS FOR HEAVY PRECIPITATION, ONE ON THE 24TH AND
ANOTHER FOR THE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS. IN ADDITION, HIGH SURF WILL
LEAD TO LOCALIZED COASTAL FLOODING IMPACTS (SEE THE BEACHES SECTION
FOR FURTHER DETAILS).
THIS PATTERN SHIFT IS SOMETHING THAT THE OPERATIONS TEAM WILL WATCH
CLOSELY FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEK, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON ANY
MIGRATION OF THE HEAVIEST IMPACTS SOUTH OF THE NORTH BAY AND
POTENTIAL FOR HEAVILY IMPACTFUL RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS. AS OF TODAY, THE NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS SEE A 30-40%
PROBABILITY OF 24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 INCHES OR MORE ON
CHRISTMAS EVE, AND THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS SEE AROUND A 10% PERCENT
CHANCE OF THE SAME. ENJOY THIS NICE WEATHER WHILE YOU CAN, BUT ALSO
TAKE SOME TIME TO PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL FLOODING AND HEAVY WIND
CONCERNS.
AVIATION
(06Z TAFS)
ISSUED AT 942 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
FOG IS BUILDING INTO THE NORTH BAY AND IN PORTIONS OF THE SF BAY.
THE FOG SPREADS OVERNIGHT, BECOMING DENSE AND FILLING OVER THE NORTH
BAY TERMINALS AND LVK FURTHER INTO THE NIGHT. DENSE FOG LOOKS TO
AFFECT SFO AND OAK INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. EXPECT FOG AND MIST TO
LINGER INTO LATE TUESDAY MORNING AND THE EARLY AFTERNOON, WITH
WIDESPREAD VFR EXPECTED AFTER. WINDS STAY LIGHT TO MODERATE THROUGH
THE TAF PERIOD.
VICINITY OF SFO...VRF LASTS INTO THE LATE NIGHT BEFORE MIST AND FOG
BEGIN TO AFFECT THE SF BAY. MOMENTS OF PASSING DENSE FOG WILL AFFECT
SFO IN THE EARLY MORNING. FOG AND MIST LOOK TO ERODE LATE TUESDAY
MORNING. MODERATE WINDS LINGER INTO THE NIGHT TONIGHT BEFORE
BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE THROUGH THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD.
SFO BRIDGE APPROACH...SIMILAR TO SFO.
MONTEREY BAY TERMINALS...VFR WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS THROUGH
THE TAF PERIOD.
MARINE
(TONIGHT THROUGH NEXT MONDAY)
ISSUED AT 942 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
LIGHT WINDS LINGER THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. MODERATE TO LONG
PERIOD NORTHWESTERLY TO WESTERLY SWELL WILL ARRIVE MIDWEEK CAUSING
AN INCREASE IN SHOALING ON HARBOR ENTRANCES AND ELEVATED SNEAKER
WAVE RISK ALONG THE COASTLINE. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ARRIVES
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND WHICH WILL RESULT IN ELEVATED WAVE
HEIGHTS AND CREATE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFTS.
BEACHES
ISSUED AT 145 PM PST TUE DEC 17 2024
A BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WAS ISSUED FOR 6 PM WEDNESDAY TO 6 PM
THURSDAY FROM SONOMA COUNTY TO MONTEREY COUNTY. MODERATE TO LONG
PERIOD NORTHWESTERLY SWELL WILL RESULT IN ELEVATED SNEAKER WAVE
DEVELOPMENT WITH SNEAKER WAVES LIKELY TO BREAK BETWEEN 10 AND 13
FEET. THIS ALONG WITH RIP CURRENTS BOTH POSE A RISK TO BEACHGOERS
WHO ARE CAUGHT UNAWARE. VISITORS TO THE COAST MIDWEEK ARE ADVISED
TO TAKE EXTRA CARE AND NEVER TURN THEIR BACKS TO THE OCEAN AS
SNEAKER WAVES MAY SWEEP UNAWARE BEACHGOERS INTO THE OCEAN.
A SECOND PERIOD OF DANGEROUS, ELEVATED SURF NEAR 15 FEET WILL OCCUR
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES THE WEST COAST.
THEN, A VERY LARGE AND POWERFUL, LONG PERIOD WEST SWELL TRAIN
WILL LIKELY ARRIVE ALONG OUR ENTIRE COASTLINE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY
NEXT WEEK. CURRENT GLOBAL WAVE MODELS ARE FORECASTING SWELL HEIGHTS
TO 20+ FEET WITH VERY ENERGETIC SWELL PERIODS OF 20+ SECONDS, THIS
WILL LEAD TO MUCH HIGHER BREAKERS INCLUDING LOCALIZED COASTAL FLOODING
IMPACTS. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
CA...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR CAZ006-505-509-529-530.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR PIGEON PT TO
PT PINOS 10-60 NM-PT PINOS TO PT PIEDRAS BLANCAS 0-10 NM.
SHORT TERM...DIALH
LONG TERM....DIALH
AVIATION...MURDOCK
MARINE...MURDOCK
VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE AT:
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSBAYAREA
WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSBAYAREA
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSBAYAREA
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page