The National Weather Service is warning about sneaker waves and there's a High Surf Advisory for the NorCal coast as we head toward the bitter, bitter end of 2020. And after some rain on Wednesday night, it'll be a dry and temperate New Year's Eve with a bit of sun going into 2021.

It's been a hell of a year, like everyone everywhere is saying, and now it's almost over. So here's what to expect, weather-wise, in the Bay Area as we slide into the first weekend of a new and hopefully less awful year:

Expect sun and clouds on Wednesday following a chilly morning, a high of 52 in the afternoon, with rain likely starting around 7 or 8 p.m. and tapering off around midnight.

Thursday and Friday will be sunnier and a little warmer, with a high of 57 in San Francisco and a high of 60 inland, per ABC 7.

Then, starting on Saturday, January 2, we're in for our first extended rainy period since last spring. Weather Underground forecasts rain showers straight on through Friday the 8th — with the most rainfall on Tuesday the 5th, when 0.65 inches is predicted in SF. And, it doesn't end there — as the Chronicle reports, NWS meteorologists are predicting "a couple of weeks of storms" getting us into mid-January in a wet way.

This is more welcome rain after the fire season we saw in 2020, and it's arriving right on schedule for La Niña years around here — which often have drier than average Decembers.

If you're planning on being anywhere near a beach, be careful! The National Weather Service warns of sneaker waves and rip currents possible along our coast through Wednesday evening, with waves between 5 and 9 feet. Starting Thursday, on New Year's Eve, there's a High Surf Advisory with dangerously high waves between 15 and 17 feet — and even higher waves in some locations.

Photo: Alfred Leung

*This post has been updated to include the prediction of two weeks of rain from the National Weather Service.