After two month dry spell, rain — cold, depressing, sky-darkening rain — is expected to creep down to the bay area from the Gulf of Alaska, arriving as early as Monday evening and then really dumping on everybody as they make their way to work Tuesday morning.
As if the daily slog weren't bad enough, what with the sun going down before 5 p.m. and the days only getting shorter from here, the rains are expected to last until Wednesday evening. Temperatures are expected to hit the low-50s in the city, which is basically all anyone in San Francisco can stand before they start complaining about how frigid it is. So, bring an umbrella and brace for some cold, soggy, and crowded Muni rides this week. By Thursday, things ought to dry out again.
If you're driving, remember that the local highways, which haven't been cleansed by a good downpour in ages, will turn into a deadly oil slick threatening to send you careening out of control at every turn or flash of a brake light. And then take BART to work.
Usually by this time of year, the bay has seen more than 16 inches of precipitation, but as of last week, we've only had 4 inches of rain in 2013 — the lowest in 164 years of records. On the bright side, the weather system should kickstart the base for the upcoming winter season in the Sierra, where snowfall is expected to hit higher altitudes Tuesday morning.
