Marine Weather Net

San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge Marine Forecast


TONIGHT

W
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

FRI

W
WINDS
10
KNOTS

FRI NIGHT

W
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

SAT

W
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

The Marine Weather Forecast In Detail:
PZZ531 Forecast Issued: 828 PM PDT Thu Apr 24 2025

Tonight...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Fri...W Wind Around 10 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Fri Night...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less. A Slight Chance Of Showers After Midnight.
Sat...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Sat Night...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Sun...W Wind 5 To 10 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Sun Night...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt, Easing To 5 To 10 Kt After Midnight. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Mon...Sw Wind Around 5 Kt, Veering To W In The Afternoon. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Mon Night...W Wind 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Sw Around 5 Kt After Midnight. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Tue...Sw Wind Around 5 Kt, Veering To W In The Afternoon. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
Tue Night...W Wind 5 To 10 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft Or Less.
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Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA 920pm PDT Thu April 24 2025

.SHORT TERM... (This afternoon through Friday Night) Issued at 1217pm PDT Thu April 24 2025

Short Term Key Messages -Cool and cloudy conditions persist -Rain chances increase late Friday

The marine layer has established itself across the region and it's quite a stark contrast from 24 hours ago. Widespread cloud cover has been noted on the latest satellite presentation, though inland areas and regions of terrain are clearing very gradually.

With broad mid-level troughing encouraging more in the way of onshore flow, I anticipate clearing will be short lived and for some regions, especially along the coast, mostly cloudy skies will prevail. We'll be locked into this onshore flow regime through at least Saturday, and the forecast will remain on the cool side as a result. As it pertains to rain chances, it appears that a bulk of the "heavier" precipitation won't arrive until after 00 UTC Saturday or 5pm Friday. Prior to that, pockets of drizzle are forecast with perhaps a few areas measuring a few hundredths of an inch. If the forward speed of the upper system accelerates, then more widespread rainfall will be on the table earlier in the evening on Friday.

Long Term
(Saturday through next Wednesday) Issued at 1217pm PDT Thu April 24 2025

Long Term Key messages -Rain and isolated thunderstorms forecast -High elevation snow (Santa Lucia and Diablo Ranges) -Warmer and largely rain-free Sunday onward

The main upper low will pinwheel just west of the Southern California Bight on Saturday. Forecast 700-500mb lapse rates should approach 7 to 7.5 C/km across the marine areas and southern Monterey County beneath the cold pocket associated with the upper low. This translates to a few hundred joules/kg of CAPE, though the max CAPE resides across SLO and points southward. The positioning of the low does modulate the thunderstorm risk. If the low slides more to the south, then the pocket of cooler air aloft will be farther displaced from our area, thereby lowering the isolated thunderstorm risk. If the upper low remains a bit farther north, then a greater portion of the Central Coast will be at a greater risk for isolated storms. Currently the primary hazard would be isolated lightning strikes. Brief accumulating hail cannot be discounted, especially with any of the more vigorous showers and/or storms.

Overall, rain amounts will be beneficial, especially across the Central Coast. This area largely missed out on some of the more robust AR events from this past year and this rain will at least mitigate the fire weather threat initially. Rain amounts will be quite respectable, given the time of year and amounts will average between a few tenths of an inch to perhaps as great as 1/2 inch. In fact there's around a 50% chance that some parts along the Big Sur Coast/Santa Lucia Range may see between 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of rain.

But wait...there's a little bit more. Some of the higher peaks of the Santa Lucia and Diablo Ranges may even get a bit more than "novelty" snowflakes as blended guidance suggests around a 50% chance for 2" of snow. At this time, no plans for any winter headlines as snow will be across a very confined to the highest peaks, but if snow levels come in a little lower, we may need to consider stronger messaging/wording.

Saturday evening through the remainder of the extended forecast appears that it'll remain quiet. This is supported with agreement among the various model solutions with ridging taking shape. Moreover, longer term model predictions support odds leaning toward warmer and drier than normal conditions precip.

Marine
(Tonight through next Wednesday) Issued at 909pm PDT Thu April 24 2025

Light showers enter the forecast late Friday morning across the waters, with the best chances late evening into Saturday morning. Slight chance of isolated thunderstorms for waters generally south of Pigeon Point. Strong breeze and rough seas return across the waters late Saturday. Dreary conditions linger into Sunday morning before drier conditions set for next week.

NOAA San Francisco Bay Area Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories
CA...None. PZ...None.

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