Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Issued by NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
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153 FXUS66 KMTR 152007 AFDMTR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Francisco CA 107 PM PDT Wed May 15 2024 ...New SYNOPSIS, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, MARINE... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 1232 PM PDT Wed May 15 2024 Quiet weather will continue with a persistent marine layer through the forecast period. Morning clouds and mist will clear in the afternoon. Despite the clearing, coastal areas will remain in the cool marine air, keeping highs in the 60s. Inland and high elevation areas will reach the 70s and 80s each afternoon. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday) Issued at 1232 PM PDT Wed May 15 2024 The stratus is clearing on schedule and should return this evening. The marine layer is currently around 1500-2000 ft deep as identified by a sharp low level inversion on the 12Z sounding and current observations from area profilers. NAM point soundings suggests the marine layer will compress to around 800 ft over the next 18 hours. This will cause a lower cloud deck Thursday, with more areas impacted by mist and fog. It will also limit the extent of the marine layer, keeping more inland areas in the sun and the warmer continental air mass. Otherwise, the weather pattern is pretty stable with mild temperatures and a weak pressure gradient producing light to gentle winds. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Thursday) Issued at 1232 PM PDT Wed May 15 2024 The current pattern will remain fairly stable through Sunday. Low clouds in the morning along the coast and adjacent valleys will clear by mid-day. High temperatures will be stuck in the 60s for areas in the marine layer, and in the 80s for the warmest inland valleys. Lows will mostly be in the 50s. By early next week, the global models agree that the jet stream, which has been running E-W across the PNW, will become meridional, with a long wave trough taking aim at California. This trough pattern will persist through next week, bringing a few weak cold fronts, some cooler weather, periods of stronger NW winds, and even the chance for some very light rain, although the air mass looks pretty dry. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1039 AM PDT Wed May 15 2024 Satellite shows the stratus continues to retreat back to the coast. Therefore, a mix of VFR/MVFR/IFR conditions over the terminals. Conditions should improve shortly after 18Z for all terminals but another round of stratus is expected tonight bringing a mix of MVFR/IFR/LIFR with clearing near 17-18Z again Thursday morning. Winds will become relatively breezy in the afternoon, but will return to light to moderate this evening. Vicinity of SFO...VFR with light winds. Winds will start to build to breezy and turn onshore by the afternoon. MVFR conditions will return overnight with clearing near 17Z. Winds become light to moderate overnight. SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO. Monterey Bay Terminals...LIFR ceilings have lifted from KMRY to IFR. Therefore, both terminals should clear near 18Z. VFR should prevail until tonight where a mix of LIFR and IFR conditions will return. Winds will become breezy this afternoon, and return to light to moderate overnight. && .MARINE... (Tonight through next Monday) Issued at 1232 PM PDT Wed May 15 2024 As surface high pressure over the Eastern Pacific Ocean slightly weakens and retrogrades to the west, the pressure gradient will relax, moderate to fresh northwesterly breezes will prevail, and significant wave heights will continue to abate through Thursday. By Friday this surface high pressure builds and moves east, increasing northwesterly breezes and building wave heights through the weekend and into next week. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM Thursday to 3 AM PDT Friday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM. && $$ SHORT TERM...Flynn LONG TERM....Flynn AVIATION...SO MARINE...Flynn 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