Bay Area cold snap could bring a ‘noticeable wind chill’

High surf and light rain are both in the weekend forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area, but the big weather story in the coming days is the cold, according to the National Weather Service.

Bone-chilling temperatures are expected across the region Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with many locations seeing overnight lows drop into the 30s. National service forecaster Brayden Murdock said the cold snap will come as northerly winds usher cold air from the Pacific Northwest into the region.

“The wind chill could make it feel 10 degrees colder than it really is in interior areas,” Murdock said.

Skies were mostly clear across the Bay Area on Friday afternoon and this will continue into the evening. The weather service issued a beach hazards statement warning of dangerous conditions at local beaches through 10 p.m. Friday. Waves may run higher up beaches than expected, the agency said. 

Clouds are expected to move into the region Saturday as a weak cold front passes over and the system will bring a chance for light rain. 

“Most locations in the Bay Area will stay under that quarter inch mark,” Murdock said of projected rainfall totals for Saturday. “The Bay Area for the most part is going to sit between a tenth of an inch of rain and two-tenths of an inch.”

Saturday night into Sunday morning, temperatures are expected to drop into the 30s in inland areas, while coastal areas are likely to stay in the low 40s. The weather service warned that a “noticeable wind chill” is likely Sunday morning when the Bay Area is expected to see the lowest temperatures of the cold snap. 

The weather service issued a frost advisory for East Bay and Santa Clara County hills and interior valleys of the North Bay, the East Bay and Santa Clara County for midnight Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday, with temperatures in the low 30s and frost formation possible. “Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation, possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing, and create hazardous conditions for livestock and those without adequate heating or shelter,” the agency said. 

Monday morning temperatures will still be chilly across the Bay Area in inland valleys, but are forecast to be several degrees warmer than those on Sunday morning; lows are predicted to be in the high 30s to low 40s in inland areas, the weather service said. Tuesday morning temperatures will likely be a few degrees higher than those on Monday.