700 FXUS66 KMTR 102050 AFDMTRArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Francisco CA 150 PM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025
...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, MARINE...
.KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 149 PM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025
- Isolated showers in the North Bay through the late evening
- Cool, dry, and mostly clear weekend
- Widespread rainfall Monday through Wednesday with chances for thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday
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.SHORT TERM... Issued at 149 PM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025 (This evening through Saturday)
A band of showers associated with a cold front tied to a low pressure system off the coast of Oregon is making its way through the northern outer waters off of Sonoma County, and expected to make its way across the North Bay through the afternoon and evening hours. Rain totals from this band are expected to be rather light with a tenth of an inch being the highest expected total across favored locations in the Sonoma County mountains. Otherwise, the rest of the day should remain mostly clear and chilly, with high temperatures in the lower to middle 70s in the Bayside and interior valleys of the Bay Area and Central Coast, the upper 60s to the lower 70s in the North Bay valleys, and the lower to middle 60s along the Pacific Coast.
On Saturday, winds are expected to pick up as a landfalling upper level low tightens the pressure gradient aloft. The strongest gusts of around 30 to 40 miles per hour are expected along the coast, especially south of Davenport and Point Sur and within the Salinas valley, while gusts of 15 to 25 miles per hour are generally expected across the region. This is below Wind Advisory criteria, but it is still advised to secure or bring in loose items in your yard, lest you find that they have become your neighbor`s loose items in their yard, or worse, through their windows. Otherwise, conditions remain generally clear outside patches of low clouds over the higher elevations, with highs generally similar to today`s.
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.LONG TERM... Issued at 149 PM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025 (Saturday night through next Thursday)
Sunday`s conditions will be rather similar to Saturday`s, including the gusty winds, the strongest of which will spread to the north to impact the North Bay Pacific coastline. The only change in sensible weather is that highs in the North Bay valleys tick up to the lower to middle 70s.
Confidence continues to increase that a notable early season rainstorm will impact the Bay Area and Central Coast next Monday through Wednesday. An upper level trough over western Canada will split off a cutoff low over southwestern British Columbia, which will maintain itself as it travels southward paralleling the Pacific coast until it arrives basically due west of California. As it does so, it will pull moisture in from the polar jet stream and direct it at the state. The current forecast depicts the main rain band coming to the Bay Area Monday afternoon, moving through the night before exiting the Central Coast on Tuesday evening, with lingering showers through Wednesday. The latest forecast update has continued a recent trend of higher rainfall totals across the Bay Area and Central Coast, with most of the lower elevations seeing rain totals above 1 inch, possibly approaching 2 inches in favored locations. The higher elevations could see 2 to 3 inches of rain, particularly across the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia range. These amounts have caused our colleagues at the Weather Prediction Center to issue a Marginal risk for excessive rainfall for the Bay Area and Central Coast on Monday and Tuesday, meaning that there is at least a 5% probability that rain totals will lead to flash flooding in the area. One final note, there is also the chance for slick roadways, especially in areas where we haven`t seen rain last month, as the summer has allowed for oil buildup on the pavement. Slowing down and leaving extra room for braking is a good idea for any rainstorm, doubly so for this one.
There is also a risk for thunderstorms with the system, with the latest model output placing chances for convection as high as 20-30% for the Monday and Tuesday timeframe. Contributing to the convective potential is the fact that the storm will be very cold. By Monday morning, the 850 mb temperature over OAK will be 7 degrees Celsius, or around the 10th percentile for this time of year, and the temperature will only drop as the low pressure system approaches. This will support steep lapse rates, which contribute to enhanced instability, one of the three key ingredients for the convection. As for the other two: moisture should be self-evident, recall the forecast rain totals above. Meanwhile, this system brings two sources for lift across the region. The first is the potential for air to be lifted into the atmosphere by the local terrain, what we would call orographic forcing. This is more prominent in the Sierra Nevada, but can definitely happen in our region. The second source for shift is a couple of surface-level fronts that will come through the region, which will provide their own sources of lift as airmasses lift over and undercut each other.
From the previous forecaster Sarment (updated to reflect the current forecast): It is important to note that this system is not unprecedented, it is not an atmospheric river, and it is not from typhoon remnants. These distinctions are important so that decision fatigue and recency bias are kept in check through our wet season so that when there is a system that calls for stronger wording, it has not lost all meaning. It`s all about context. Are we forecasting a month`s worth of rain over the course of three days? Yes. It is important to keep in mind though that October is the start of the wet season and water year; thus, it is not too difficult to achieve the feat that we are forecasting. For example: SFO`s average precipitation during the month of October between 1945 and 2024 is 0.97 inches - their rainfall total forecast between Monday and Wednesday is 1.64 inches. Their maximum precipitation for the month of October is 7.30 inches dating back to 1962 where 7.29 inches fell over the course of four days during the Columbus Day Storm. All in all, this system should generally be beneficial from a water storage and fire weather standpoint.
Beyond Wednesday, the upper level low moves inland and tracks through the Great Basin. At this point, the models do diverge on the strength and positioning of the low. The forecast for Thursday could credibly include some northerly offshore flow or some lingering rainfall depending on how quickly the storm moves and where its track lies. But for now, let`s get the rainstorm out of the way before we deal with what comes next.
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.AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1035 AM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025
Satellite imagery is showing stratus mixing out over the interior valleys, mid-level cloud cover impinging into Sonoma County, some cumulus developing from SJC down to the Monterey Bay region, and generally VFR conditions everywhere else. VFR conditions are generally expected to persist through the day, with some MVFR ceilings possible as isolated showers move into the North Bay this afternoon. Breezy onshore winds with a southeast component will develop this afternoon across the region, extending into the evening. Overnight, some MVFR-IFR ceilings are possible along the coast, within the higher elevations, and within the North Bay valleys. Some models are showing a band of showers moving across the region overnight but outside of the North Bay confidence is low. Fog is possible in the North Bay valleys tonight, but opted to keep it out of the TAFs as confidence is low. Winds will start to increase again on Saturday, towards the end of the 24-hour TAF period.
Vicinity of SFO... Moderate to high confidence of VFR through the TAF period. Breezy west-southwest winds develop at the terminal this afternoon into the evening with gusts up to 15 kt. Low confidence (10-20% probability) of showers at the terminal this evening. Winds diminish overnight, before turning to the northwest Saturday afternoon with gusts to 25 kt.
SFO Bridge Approach... Similar to SFO.
Monterey Bay Terminals... VFR through the day with breezy west- northwest winds developing in the afternoon. IFR-MVFR ceilings develop overnight over the nearby mountains, with moderate confidence that they will impact the terminals. Any ceilings that develop should clear out through Saturday morning with breezy and gusty northwest winds developing in the afternoon beyond the TAF period.
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.MARINE... (Tonight through next Wednesday) Issued at 149 PM PDT Fri Oct 10 2025
A band of showers is moving through the northern outer waters and will steadily make its way inland through the afternoon. Light winds will continue today and tonight, then begin to steadily increase across our southern waters first on Saturday morning, and spread north during the day. Increasing northwest winds across our area Saturday will result in rough seas by Sunday. An unsettled pattern for the first half of next week will bring more wind and rain to the forecast.
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.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...None. PZ...Gale Warning from 3 PM Saturday to 3 AM PDT Sunday for Mry Bay- Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.
Small Craft Advisory from 3 PM Saturday to 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM- Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PDT Saturday for Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.
Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM Saturday to 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM.
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SHORT TERM...DialH LONG TERM....DialH/Sarment AVIATION...DialH MARINE...DialH
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