Small Craft Advisory 34, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
1107 AM PDT SAT APR 6 2013

.DISCUSSION...AS OF 9:17 AM PDT SATURDAY...A WEAK SYSTEM BRUSHING
ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IS INITIATING SOME LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS
THE NORTH BAY AS WELL AS THE CENTRAL VALLEY. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS
HAVE BEEN VERY LIGHT THUS FAR WITH UP TO 0.05 OF AN INCH REPORTED
WITHIN THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST TODAY
WITH SHOWERS MOSTLY ENDING BY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE A
LITTLE COOLER OVERALL TODAY AS CLOUDS REMAIN OVER MOST OF THE
DISTRICT. SUNNIER CONDITIONS ACROSS MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO
COUNTIES WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHTLY WARMER DAY.

ANOTHER DISTURBANCE IS PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING SPREADING LIGHT PRECIPITATION FROM THE
GOLDEN GATE NORTHWARD. THE FINAL CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER THE
WEEKEND WILL OCCUR LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY EVENING AS
THE MAIN UPPER LOW DROPS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND COLD ADVECTION
DEVELOPS OVER THE REGION. ONCE AGAIN THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEEING
MEASURABLE PRECIP WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTH BAY...HOWEVER THERE IS
A POSSIBILITY FOR COASTAL AREAS AS FAR SOUTH AS MONTEREY COUNTY
TO SEE SOME LIGHT RAIN SUNDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL ALSO PICK UP
SUNDAY EVENING AS SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS TIGHTEN. THE
STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND
RIGHT ALONG THE COAST...WITH NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH
POSSIBLE.

HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC BY EARLY
IN THE WEEK. THE RIDGE WILL BEGIN PUSHING EASTWARD INTO CALIFORNIA
BEGINNING ON TUESDAY WITH SURFACE FLOW BECOMING LIGHT OFFSHORE. A
WARMING TREND IS INDICATED BY MIDWEEK WITH HIGH TEMPS WARMING INTO
THE 80S ACROSS INLAND AREAS...AND 60S AND 70S AT THE COAST. THE
RIDGE IS PROGGED TO FLATTEN SOMEWHAT BY THE END OF THE WEEK FOR
SLIGHT COOLING.

&&

.AVIATION...AS OF 11:07 AM PDT SATURDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL BOUNDARY
IS PASSING OVER THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. THIS FEATURE IS
RESULTING IN ONSHORE FLOW...LOW CLOUDS AND ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE
SF BAY AREA. THESE CONDITIONS ARE PUSHING SOUTH TOWARDS MONTEREY
BAY.

VICINITY OF KSFO...MVFR CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THIS MORNING
WITH IMPROVING CONDITIONS VFR BY 2000Z. ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL PASS
OVER THE TERMINALS INTERMITTENTLY BETWEEN 1800Z AND 2200Z. MVFR
WILL RETURN BY 0400Z. SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE
SOUTHWESTERLY BY 2000Z REACHING 10 TO 12 KT GUSTING TO 16KT.

KSFO BRIDGE APPROACH...SAME AS KSFO.

MONTEREY BAY AREA TERMINALS...VFR WITH CIGS BKN035 THIS MORNING.
CIGS WILL LOWER TO MVFR BY 2300Z AS ISOLATED SHOWERS MOVE INTO THE
AREA. WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 12 KT.

&&

.MARINE...AS OF 11:07 AM PDT SATURDAY...A LARGE LONG PERIOD
WESTERLY SWELL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS.
THIS SWELL IS RANGING FROM 8 TO 10 FEET WITH A PERIOD OF 18 TO 20
SECONDS. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SHOALING ALONG
NEAR SHORE REEFS AND JETTIES. MARINERS SHOULD BE ARE OF THE
POTENTIAL FOR LARGE BREAKERS AND USE CAUTION NEAR REEFS AND
JETTIES. THESE CONDITIONS WILL ALSO RESULT IN A HEIGHTENED RISK OF
SNEAKER WAVES AT THE BEACHES WITH STRONG RIPS CURRENTS AND LARGE
SHORE BREAK POSSIBLE AS WELL. HAVE ISSUED BOTH A MARINE WEATHER
STATEMENT AND A BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT TO HIGHLIGHT THESE
HAZARDS.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...THE OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEM WILL BE INCREASING
NORTHWEST WINDS...ESPECIALLY OUTER WATERS...SUNDAY NIGHT INTO
MONDAY. DECIDED TO ISSUE A GALE WATCH FOR LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY WITH WINDS UP TO 35 KT. THE STRONG WINDS WILL
GENERATE FRESH SWELL AND STEEP WIND WAVES. HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS
WILL PREVAIL ALONG THE COAST ON MONDAY...ESPECIALLY AWAY FROM NEAR
SHORE.

.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
     .TDAY...SCA...PT PINOS TO PT PIEDRAS BLANCAS 0-10 NM FROM 11 AM

&&

PUBLIC FORECAST: SIMS
AVIATION/MARINE: LARRY

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