Technical NOAA Weather Discussion

FXUS66 KMTR 221914
AFDMTR

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
1214 PM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026

...New AVIATION, MARINE...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1200 AM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026

 - Temperatures near to slightly below seasonal averages continue
   through the next week

 - Warm and dry conditions persist above 1000 feet

&&

.SHORT TERM...
Issued at 1200 AM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026
(Today and tonight)

The skies are generally clear for now with patches of stratus in 
favored locations and some high level clouds continuing to stream 
across the interior. Offshore, a blob of cooler air lurks offshore, 
evidenced by a robust stratus deck set up off the North Bay and the 
San Mateo Peninsula. Through the rest of the night, this stratus 
deck is expected to expand to the coastal areas and build inland 
through the post-sunrise hours when the stratus will begin to 
gradually clear out. 

The region remains under the influence of the balance between a 
cutoff low located around 200 miles west of Cape Blanco along the 
southern coast of Oregon, and an upper level ridge with an axis 
extending along the crest of the Rocky Mountains. Altogether this 
pattern will result in temperatures which are near to slightly below 
the seasonal averages, with highs today ranging from the upper 70s 
to the lower 90s in the inland valleys, the middle 90s into the 
triple digits for the warmest interior spots, especially the 
southern tier of Monterey County, across the 70s for areas near the 
Bays, and the 60s for areas along the Pacific coast. The marine 
layer remains relatively stable at around 1000-1500 feet, with warm 
and dry conditions persisting above the marine layer inversion as 
relative humidity values reach the 10-30% range. Winds remain 
relatively light and develop in an onshore flow pattern, with wind 
gusts reaching 20 to 30 miles per hour along the coast, through 
favored gaps and passes, and within the northern Salinas Valley.

&&

.LONG TERM...
Issued at 1200 AM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026
(Sunday through Friday)

More of the same pattern is anticipated for the rest of the week's 
forecast, with a generally southwesterly upper level flow over the 
region as the series of eastern Pacific troughs continues to balance 
the ridge over the Desert Southwest. High temperatures are expected 
to hover around the upper 70s to the lower 90s for the inland 
valleys and the middle 60s to upper 70s near the Bays, with a subtle 
drop in the temperatures in the early part of next week before the 
ridge tries to build back towards the west. As noted by the previous 
forecaster, a couple of broad low pressure areas to the south of 
Baja California could develop into tropical systems sometime within 
the 7-day outlook, and how those systems interact with the ridge is 
highly uncertain at this time. 

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1212 PM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026

VFR through the afternoon with diurnally influenced and moderate 
onshore flow. The OAK sounding from this morning measured the marine 
layer at a depth of 1500 feet which is consistent with the past 
couple of nights. However, due to dry air entrainment, stratus has 
been patchy through the morning and will continue to remain so 
through the TAF period. That being said, as the upper level low 
moves northeastward, high pressure continues to creep in which will 
slightly compress the marine layer. The combination of dry air 
entrainment and slight compression will limit stratus expansion into 
the interior East and South Bay valley terminals. At sites where 
stratus develops, ceilings are expected to remain IFR to MVFR. Low 
to medium confidence on the exact arrival of stratus, though 
generally expect a later onset. North Bay terminals may experience a 
weak, short-lived offshore flow overnight which will further delay 
IFR stratus development and shorten its duration. As a result, low 
confidence on whether the marine layer will reach APC.

Vicinity of SFO...VFR conditions with moderate westerlies are 
forecast through the day. The increased pressure gradient will 
result in gusty onshore flow through the afternoon and winds ease 
around sunset. The marine layer is expected to be deep enough to 
reach SFO overnight, but it is a matter of when. Medium confidence 
on the exact timing as ceilings may develop a few hours earlier than 
forecast (09-12Z Sunday). Stratus should have a similar clearing 
time of 17-18Z Sunday.

SFO Bridge Approach...Stratus may be more patchy in nature early 
morning Sunday. Otherwise, similar to SFO.

Monterey Bay Terminals...Clear skies with a few high clouds prevail 
through the afternoon with onshore winds around 10 to 15 kt. The 
offshore stratus feed continues to look messy, therefore a later 
stratus arrival is forecast this TAF period with medium confidence. 
IFR ceilings will impact both terminals overnight and persist 
through the middle of Sunday morning. 

&&

.MARINE...
(Tonight through next Thursday)
Issued at 1212 PM PDT Sat Aug 22 2026

Northwest winds increase to a fresh to strong breeze with slight
to moderate seas. Near gale force gusts are possible across the 
coastal waters, particularly near Point Sur and Point Reyes. 
Hazardous conditions for small crafts persist today for the bay 
and coastal waters. Conditions are expected to improve by Sunday 
night into early next week.

&&

.MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PDT this evening for Mry Bay-SF 
     Bay N of Bay Bridge.

     Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pt Arena to Pt 
     Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm-Pt 
     Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.

     Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Sunday for Pigeon Pt to Pt 
     Pinos 0-10 nm-Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM-Pt Arena to Pt 
     Reyes 10-60 NM.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...DialH
LONG TERM....DialH
AVIATION...Navarrete
MARINE...Navarrete

Visit us at www.weather.gov/sanfrancisco

Follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube at:
www.facebook.com/nwsbayarea
x.com/nwsbayarea
www.youtube.com/nwsbayarea


  
Prepared by Boulder-Creek.com Weather at: Sat Aug 22 12:30:04 PDT 2026
From the National Weather Service