Rain returns to Bay Area – and could stick around through Christmas

SAN FRANCISCO – Rain was expected to return to the Bay Area overnight Monday and could stick around through next week, potentially complicating holiday travel, according to the National Weather Service forecast office in Monterey.

The North Bay will welcome the first salvo of showers, the agency said in an area forecast discussion. The wet weather will then spread south to the Peninsula by Tuesday afternoon.

Showers are expected to continue into Wednesday. The North Bay will see most of the activity, but rainfall is expected throughout the region, according to the agency.

Forecasters are anticipating up to half an inch of rain in the North Bay and a few hundredths of an inch elsewhere.

There will be a brief break in the rain “before the atmosphere reloads with another system,” according to the agency.

“The atmospheric ‘reload’ will come in the way of a low spinning up over the Pacific north of (Hawaii) and another storm system swinging into the (Pacific Northwest),” forecasters said. “This set up will allow for a moisture plume to take aim at the (Pacific Northwest) before sliding down the (Northern California) coast on Friday.”

Widespread rain is expected to initially return to the North Bay before pushing south to the Central Coast.

“A great way to describe the overall weather starting Friday through early next week will be episodes or periods of rain,” forecasters said. “Not a complete wash out, but measureable rain.”

The North Bay and coastal mountains could see 2 to 5 inches of rain; the rest of the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region 1 to 2 inches; and the interior Central Coast less than an inch, according to the agency. Sunday into Monday is shaping up to be the heaviest rainfall period.

Meanwhile, confidence continues to increase that “impactful weather” will return beginning around Dec. 22 and continuing through Christmas, according to the agency.

“Holiday travel is likely to be impacted across the West Coast,” the agency said in a separate briefing.

Check back for updates.