Let the Rainy Season begin!

Rain has moved into the state in the top north west corner, with Crescent City reporting light rain as of 6AM this morning.  More is to come for them, with rain in the forecast for the next week.  This morning we have fog settled on us, with a band of clear running from southwest to northeast, ahead of the cold front and rain, to our north.  Fog clears out north of Point Reyes, and it is clear to just north of Point Mendocino, along the coastline.  Pretty cool morning visible satellite image.  North of there, the frontal clouds take over, with the rain band just barely in the state.  Rain is prevalent along the OR/WA coast, and southern BC is expecting quite a bit of rain over the next five days, exceeding seven inches in areas.  It still looks like we could get a little shower, but unless a piece of this breaks off, and hits us solid, it will be hard to tell that it is rain, as opposed to foggy drizzle.  Anyway, best chances still seem to be a few hours after sunset tonight.  Don't be expecting too much.  Maybe one of you folks in the local hills will have more luck.

Central Park painters painting.

Next system up stream is still expected to arrive Friday, and it still looks to dive deeper south and hold more water.  Moderate chance for rain late Friday, and into Saturday.  And the models still suggest some rain next week, as early as Monday, with possible significant rainfall for the entire northern portion of the state by next Thursday.  While all of this is pretty far out, especially for forecasting in the shoulder season, the fact that some iteration of these systems has been on the charts for several days now, leads to growing belief that rain is on the way.  My dance lessons look to be paying off.  Anyway, more on this as we move through the current system.

A break in the grey starts later Wednesday, and Thursday should be sunny.  Clouds return on Friday, and things clear out Saturday night.  Sunday could be pleasant enough.  Highs in the upper 60s to finish the work week, and in the low 70s after that.  Monday will be clouding up again, with more chances of rain.  Tough call right now in regard to the exact weather, but plan accordingly.  If you have outdoor plans for Saturday, think about rain gear.  I will update here tomorrow or Thursday with a better idea of the timing of things for this weekend.