textproduct: San Francisco Bay Area

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 340 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026

- Breezy to strong winds along the coast and at higher elevations through Saturday

- Warming trend through the weekend with the warmest temperatures on Sunday

- Dry conditions through the extended forecast

UPDATE

Issued at 924 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026

Satellite is generally clear over our service area this morning and 24 hour temp change as of 9 AM is + 3 to 8 degrees. Starting warmer and the forecast daytime high is to be a little warmer. Forecast is looking on track for temperatures today. Winds from the north remain a little breezy this morning, especially up in the highest elevations. Overall, a clear and warm day on tap across the Bay Area and Central Coast.

What to watch for...San Francisco. There could be some sneaky warmth for Saturday. Right now we have the city peaking out at 78 degrees on Saturday. We'll look closer as more data comes in, but the winds just off the surface look to be lining up in a favorable direction to cause a micro climate spike in temps for the city. It would not surprise me, from what I'm looking at, to see temps pop into the low to mid 80s for portions of the city during a brief period on Saturday. That following a warm-ish night tonight, could cause an early season warm surprise.

SHORT TERM

Issued at 340 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026 (Today and tonight)

Winds remain gusty along the highest peaks of the North and East Bay, while winds in the rest of the area have reduced. Expect winds across the region to increase again in the mid to late morning, but not to the magnitude of previous days. The building ridge pattern will continue the drying and warming trend today with highs beginning to break back into the 70s across much of the North and East Bay, and in spottier locations farther to the south. Winds across the district reduce again into the night, with some lingering breeziness in the higher elevations of the North Bay.

LONG TERM

Issued at 340 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026 (Saturday through Thursday)

The overnight forecast update mostly focused on fine adjustments in wind for Friday into Saturday, but some tuning was done to the temperature trend. One change of note is the increased warming in the North Bay for Saturday. This will make Saturday afternoon the warmest in the forecast for much of Sonoma County, while most areas are set to see temperatures peak on Sunday. Peak temperatures this weekend will span from the mid 60s at the immediate coast, then into the 70s for the areas slightly inland. Most areas will climb into the mid to upper 70s, with a few of the more interior areas set to break 80 degrees. The best chances for 80 degree temperatures will be Sunday as winds become very weak across much of the region.

The upper-level pattern flexes into more zonal flow into Sunday night. At the surface, this will allow for a modest onshore flow and the reestablishment of a thin marine layer. Because of this quick change, high temperatures will fall around 5 degrees across much of the district. The southern Salinas Valley looks to be the more notable exception, only cooling by 1 or 2 degrees.

This flow will continue into Tuesday, continuing the cooling trend, but temperatures rebound slightly as a weak ridge reforms in the jet stream. And by weak, I mean just barely out of zonal flow. What this means is that onshore flow will reduce, but not completely dissipate, allowing for that slight warming.

The change back to a slight ridge pattern will have more of an effect on rain chances than temperatures. In that it will prevent any rain makers from making it this far down the Pacific Coast. The longer term models show a series of fronts hitting the Pacific Northwest over the next week, but as those fronts move south, they bend and break as they approach California. This could offer some light rain for the very north end of the state, but it doesn't look like anything will make it to the Bay Area and Central Coast. Patterns like these do become more common going into the dry season, so this may be a signal that our rains will become fewer and further between as we continue into March. But this isn't set in stone just yet, with some hints in the very-long term model output showing the flow pushing more southward in the second half of the month, disrupting the ridge.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 926 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026

VFR. Northerly winds are forecast to increase this afternoon before diminishing late in the evening and into Saturday morning. Gusty conditions will remain possible at times throughout the afternoon.

Vicinity of SFO...VFR.

SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO.

Monterey Bay Terminals...VFR.

MARINE

(Today through Wednesday) Issued at 926 AM PST Fri Mar 6 2026

Hazardous conditions will continue today due to strong northerly breezes and rough to very rough seas. Frequent gale force gusts are expected to continue across the northern outer waters through this evening. Conditions will briefly improve this weekend as northerly breezes diminish and seas subside, yet hazardous conditions will linger for the northern outer waters. By Monday, strong northerly breezes and rough to very rough seas return.

MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PST this evening for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.

Gale Warning until 3 AM PST Saturday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10- 60 NM.

Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PST Saturday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM.