MONTEREY — Rain and snow are slated to return this weekend to Northern California and will likely stick around through Christmas Day, forecasters said Wednesday.
As a low pressure system begins to build Friday, the Bay Area will experience the first of several rounds of rain and gusty winds, according to a briefing issued by the National Weather Service forecast office in Monterey.
“This pattern is expected to continue through Christmas Day,” forecasters said in the briefing.
To the east, a similar scenario will unfold in the Sacramento Valley, foothills and mountains, where more than 2 inches of rain is expected to fall between Saturday and Monday, according to an advisory issued by the NWS forecast office in Sacramento.
Snow levels are projected to be around 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level during that period, but they will drop as colder air arrives on Christmas Eve, forecasters said.
“Mountain holiday travel may be impacted midweek with periods of moderate snow and gusty winds,” the Sacramento forecast office warned in a separate advisory.
In the Bay Area, the continuous rain will increase chances for flooding this weekend into next week, according to forecasters. The low pressure system is also expected to bring large breaking waves – some as high as 20 feet – Monday into Tuesday.
The first round of rain is set to arrive Friday in the North Bay and spread to the rest of the region by Saturday. Additional rounds will follow Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Friday through Tuesday rainfall totals could reach 2 inches in San Francisco, 1.7 inches in the East Bay, 1.5 inches on the Peninsula and .9 inches in the South Bay.
Until then, dry conditions will continue through Thursday, forecasters said, adding that the region will see some chilly morning temperatures, especially in the inland valleys.
Check back for updates.