Clear skies return to these parts of the Bay Area today
Drier weather is expected to return to the Bay Area after a rainy Monday. Pockets of rain are expected to taper off Tuesday morning and rain chances will be unpredictable until at least Thursday.
No additional rain is expected Tuesday afternoon, but there will still be enough moisture and instability in the atmosphere for clouds to form over the hills of the Bay Area. Known as cumulonimbus in fair weather, these clouds look like floating cotton candy. Fair weather cumulonimbus clumps are likely to form over the North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills during the afternoon.
Temperatures will be cold on Tuesday. Highs will be in the lower 60s on the coast and mid to upper 60s inland, a few degrees below normal. Starry skies will allow the heat to escape at night, with lows falling into the 40s in most areas. Parts of the North Bay will dip into the 30s, with areas of frost possible in Sonoma County.
Tuesday collapse
San Francisco: Temperatures in the city will remain on the cool side despite the sunny skies. Look for highs in the mid to mid 60s, a few degrees below normal. San Franciscans seeking warmth should head to Mission Dolores Park, where temperatures can briefly reach the upper 60s.
Afternoon winds will pick up to 20 mph and cold temperatures will return to the 50s by the evening. Low temperatures will be around 50 degrees under clear skies. Diamond Heights and Twin Peaks could drop into the upper 40s by early Wednesday morning.
North Bay: Scattered showers are possible along the Sonoma County coast early in the morning, but otherwise dry weather is expected. Dense, patchy fog could develop in wind-protected areas of Wine Country Tuesday morning. With the sun rising an hour earlier than it did last week due to the shift to standard time, the fog will lift soon, around 9 or 10 a.m.
Puffy cumulus clouds will likely form around the hills and mountains in the afternoon, but skies will be sunny otherwise. Highs will be in the mid to upper 60s in San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Napa, Vallejo-Fairfield and Vacaville. Lows will fall into the lower 40s to mid 40s in most areas, with some areas dipping into the upper 30s, especially in Sonoma County. Fog is unlikely to develop Tuesday night.
East Bay: Drier weather returns to the East Bay after a wet Monday. After patchy morning fog, skies will return to clear, except over the Oakland and Berkeley Hills, where unexpected puffy cumulus clouds could form.
Highs will be in the lower to mid 60s in Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, Hayward and Fremont. There are mid to upper 60s stores in Concord, Walnut Creek, Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton. Lows will be on the cool side, in the mid to upper 40s under clear skies.
Pacific Coast and Peninsula: Sunshine and mostly sunny skies should return to the peninsula after pockets of morning fog burn off.
Afternoon winds of 20 mph combined with high temperatures in the lower 60s will make it chilly in Daly City, Pacifica and South San Francisco. Half Moon Bay will be protected from the strongest breezes. In San Mateo, Redwood City and Menlo Park, highs will reach the mid 60s under mostly sunny skies.
South Bay and Santa Cruz: A few pockets of rain could persist in the Santa Cruz Mountains through the early morning hours, but dry weather is expected to remain for the rest of the day.
Cumulus clouds should form over the Diablo Range and parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the afternoon, but skies will be mainly clear in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Highs will be in the mid 60s in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley and in the upper 60s in Palo Alto, Cupertino, San Jose and Milpitas. Lows will be cool in the mid 40s.
Contact Anthony Edwards: anthony.edwards@sfchronicle.com
