We are in for a very warm week — basically a second round of Indian Summer — here in the Bay Area, as we head into the last few weeks of Fall 2021 and the beginning of the holiday season.
It was nice to have rain in October and November, and that atmospheric river the week before Halloween did a nice job of ending fire season. And now as we stare down the start of December (which is on Wednesday), the forecast is for mostly sunny days and warm — even record-breaking — temperatures around the Bay. The early mornings, though, will remain seasonably chilly.
The National Weather Service says that there's little chance of rain in the immediate forecast, though there may the smallest chance of some rain early next week. And afternoon highs are going to likely hit the 70s in San Francisco, and even as high as 83 inland on Wednesday. On Sunday, it hit 70 in SF, tying a 26-year-old record, per the Mercury News; and Oakland broke a 19-year-old record hitting 73.
Look for plenty of sunshine along with cool mornings and warm afternoons over the next several days. It still appears we'll remain rain-free through the end of the month. #cawx pic.twitter.com/67cOaNzChV
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) November 28, 2021
"For the foreseeable future, the next week or so, maybe a bit longer, we’re gonna have this stubborn high pressure hanging around the region," says National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah McCorkle, speaking to the Mercury News. "Eventually, we’ll get some relief, but it probably won’t be until sometime next week."
All this sunny weather, and the high pressure system, are consistent with the La Niña weather pattern happening in the Pacific, McCorkle says. But unlike last year, we at least started off the fall with some rain.
The effects of La Niña patterns are not entirely consistent for the Bay Area, as we discussed during last winter's La Niña, with this region being squeezed between an area of more intense rain and snow in the Northwest, and dry conditions in Southern California and the Southwest. We could end up with late-season rain, or the winter could remain drier than average like last year — which would further worsen the current drought.
Seattle, meanwhile, has seen its wettest early fall on record, having gotten 18.91 inches of rain between September and November. As the Seattle Times reports, that rain has come from a series of atmospheric rivers (only a couple of which have also hit the Bay Area), and the area is expecting another one to drench it this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's winter forecast, released in October, suggested that this year's La Niña might improve drought conditions for the Bay Area.
San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission last week issued its first water usage advisory, asking residents to curb their water use by 5% as water reserves begin to dwindle.
Photo: Taylor Peissner
