Technical NOAA Weather Discussion

FXUS66 KMTR 291615
AFDMTR

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
915 AM PDT Sat Aug 29 2026

...New UPDATE, MARINE...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 909 PM PDT Fri Aug 28 2026

 - Clear skies and cool temperatures today

 - Cooler weather continues into next week

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued at 914 AM PDT Sat Aug 29 2026

Extended the Dense Fog Advisory through 10 AM for the North Bay 
Valleys, however seeing some improvement in visibilities across the 
101 Highway Corridor with Navato now at 1 mile while Petaluma and 
Santa Rosa/Sonoma County Airport both at 1/2 mile. Expecting mostly 
sunny conditions regionwide as low clouds and fog dissipate. Still 
expecting seasonably cool temperatures today as the trough of low 
pressure deepens off of the Pacific Northwest coast. No updates 
planned as the ongoing forecast remains on track this morning. 

RGass

&&

.SHORT TERM...
Issued at 909 PM PDT Fri Aug 28 2026
(Tonight through Sunday)

While there were some light showers Friday, the lightning never 
happened and that threat is now over. The 00Z sounding measured 
1.32" of precipitable water. That's well over the 90th percentile
(1.04"), and near the maximum recorded for this date (1.38").
Despite this near record moisture, dry air is moving in from the 
northwest remarkably fast. The ECMWF ensemble mean predicts the PW
will drop from 1.38" Friday to around 0.5" Saturday. That means
the atmospheric moisture is decreasing from well over the 90th 
percentile all the way down to the 10th percentile in only 12-24 
hours.

As a result of the much drier air, the skies will be mostly clear
Saturday. The marine layer is trying to re-organize, but any 
stratus will likely be patchy and evaporate in the mid to late morning.
The mid and high level clouds are already clearing and will not 
return anytime soon. Despite the sunshine, temperatures will
remain several degrees cooler than normal this weekend.

&&

.LONG TERM...
Issued at 909 PM PDT Fri Aug 28 2026
(Sunday night through next Friday)

Upper level troughing will persist through the week, with a few
embedded shortwave features bringing some early rain to the 
Pacific Northwest. In the Bay Area, rain is less likely, but the 
cooling trend will continue through at least the middle of the 
week. Max temperatures will be roughly 10-15 degrees below normal
from Monday through Wednesday. The 850 mb temperature is expected
to drop below the 25th percentile (16.1C) by Tuesday morning.  

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 421 AM PDT Sat Aug 29 2026

IFR-LIFR stratus is developing into the Sonoma County valleys, 
through the Golden Gate into the SF Bay Area, and across Monterey 
Bay and into the northern Salinas Valley. Limited further expansion 
is forecast tonight as the marine layer remains relatively 
compressed at around 1000-1500 ft deep. Stratus will retreat to the 
immediate coast after sunrise with moderate onshore pattern winds 
developing in the afternoon and evening hours. Tonight, lower 
confidence in the ceiling heights as a deepening marine layer should 
result in some higher ceilings, but otherwise the stratus deck 
should return to most of the areas that it currently covers.

Vicinity of SFO... IFR stratus over the immediate terminal area will 
persist through the post-sunrise hours, moderate confidence on the 
clearing time. Moderate west-northwest winds with strong gusts will 
develop in the afternoon and evening, with stratus returning to the 
terminal area tonight. 

SFO Bridge Approach... Lower confidence for stratus development 
along the approach path through the morning. Otherwise similar to 
SFO.

Monterey Bay Terminals... LIFR stratus and patchy fog continue 
through the morning. Gentle to moderate northwest winds will develop 
in the afternoon and evening hours, with stratus returning somewhat 
early in the evening hours.

&&

.MARINE...
(Today through Thursday)
Issued at 914 AM PDT Sat Aug 29 2026

Northwest winds remain fresh with strong to near gale force gusts
today into Sunday night. In response, wind driven seas build to 
rough this afternoon and steadily subside to moderate through next
week. A long period southerly swell also peaks today around 17 to
18 seconds and gradually diminishes by Sunday night.

&&

.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM PDT this morning for CAZ506.

PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Sunday for Mry Bay-Pigeon Pt 
     to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm.

     Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Monday for Pt Arena to Pt 
     Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM.

     Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PDT Sunday for Pigeon Pt to Pt 
     Pinos 10-60 NM-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Flynn
LONG TERM....Flynn
AVIATION...DialH
MARINE...Navarrete

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Prepared by Boulder-Creek.com Weather at: Sat Aug 29 10:30:03 PDT 2026
From the National Weather Service