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Slow-Moving Rain to Soak Bay Area Overnight, Snarling Monday Commute
A sluggish cold front will bring light but persistent rain across the Bay Area from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, making roads wet and slick for commuters before clearing late Monday. Tuesday offers a brief dry break before another significant storm arrives midweek.
A slow-moving cold front will push light rain across the Bay Area starting Sunday afternoon and continuing through the overnight hours, setting up a wet and potentially messy Monday morning commute, forecasters said.
Showers were already falling along the Marin coastline and back through Santa Rosa as of 11 a.m. Sunday. The rain is expected to spread south and east through the afternoon and evening, though the front is moving at a snail's pace. San Francisco and the bayside East Bay may not see rain until nearly sunset, with the South Bay and interior East Bay waiting even longer.
"Slow is the operative word," said Greg Porter, senior newsroom meteorologist. The cold front triggering the rain will inch across the region, meaning precipitation will be generally light but could pile up in spots. Short-range weather models are not in strong agreement on total rainfall amounts.
What forecasters do agree on is that Monday morning's commute will be wet. The front will still be draped across the region, moving slowly east. A steady, light rain is likely in the South Bay and interior East Bay through 10 a.m. San Francisco and the bayshore should see a round of heavier showers between 7 and 10 a.m., but steady rain should end there by mid-morning.
Roads will be wet everywhere, and a few spots are likely to have ponding and large areas of standing water, creating hazardous driving conditions.
Rain should end in San Francisco, the Highway 101 corridor in the North Bay and along the Peninsula after 10 a.m. Showers will continue in the East Bay interior and South Bay into early Monday afternoon. Sunshine will quickly develop once the steady rain ends, but the threat of showers will linger for the rest of Monday afternoon and evening, especially in San Francisco, Oakland and around the bay.
Despite the sunny end to the day, Monday will be cool, with temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s everywhere. Wet surfaces from the fresh rainfall will make things feel raw.
Tuesday is likely to be the only dry day of the week. Forecasters say it should feature lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s, making it a good day to get outside. But the active wet pattern continues: a significant storm appears on tap for Wednesday and Thursday.
The rainy start to the workweek follows a weekend of dangerous surf that flooded Bay Area streets and threatened homes, with waves described as the biggest in a decade. The repeated storms underscore the region's vulnerability to flooding and the importance of storm preparedness as the wet season intensifies.