It's probably a good idea to take down any of those lingering Halloween decorations -- increasingly gusty conditions and elevated fire weather concerns are poised to hit the Bay Area this week.
Up to an inch of rain fell across the region over the weekend, temporarily quelling any red flag warnings, said Roger Gass, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Bay Area office, said Sunday. But a mix of high pressure building over the Pacific Northwest and low pressure over the Desert Southwest are producing strong northerly offshore winds -- especially in higher elevations -- that will persist throughout the week, leading to "high confidence" in conditions that could spark wildfires, the weather service said in an emailed news briefing.
Most of the Bay Area will likely experience 15 to 20 mph wind speeds with gusts as high as 35 mph on Sunday, Gass said, but the higher peaks of the North and East Bay hills, as well as the Santa Cruz mountains, are expected to see gusts as high as 50 mph. Loose or unsecured objects "may be blown away," and people may experience difficulty driving high profile vehicles, the weather service said.
Gass described the phenomenon driving these conditions as a cutoff low, which develops in the aftermath of a cold front when a low pressure system is cut off from the jet stream and "hovers over one region longer than expected." A brief respite from the wind is expected Monday through Tuesday afternoon, but Tuesday night through Thursday morning is forecast to be "the most concerning timeframe," the weather service said.
Meteorologists are still eyeing a number of factors, including the strength of winds once they return and how fuels respond to them. That said, people are encouraged to heed caution: keep water near campfires, avoid using grills except on paved surfaces or gravel, and never toss lit cigarettes on the ground. People should also water their lawns and secure tow chains on vehicles so they don't drag on the ground, the weather service said.
A beach hazards statement is also slated to go into effect at 3 p.m. on Sunday until 7 p.m. on Monday as the winds are likely to lead to breaking waves of 10 to 14 feet high across all Bay Area and Central California beaches from Sea Ranch down to Monterey, with the exception of the Santa Cruz coastline. People and their pets should stay out of the water to "avoid hazardous swimming conditions," the weather service warned.
"There's definitely going to be an increased risk of sneaker waves and rip currents," Gass said.
No additional precipitation is expected in the immediate forecast, but as the Bay Area heads into November, it's a good reminder that the rainy season isn't far off, Gass said. "Looking out 10 to 14 days, we're expecting temperatures to be slightly below average and precipitation to be slightly above average."