The National Weather Service forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area for Saturday calls for rain showers and a strong westerly wind.
Daytime highs will be mostly in the 50s in the Bay Area. Overnight lows will be in the 40s on the coast, in the 40s around the bay, and in the 40s inland and on the peninsula.
Showers will continue throughout Saturday, according to the NWS, adding that a lull was expected in the morning before rain ramped back up one last time later in the day.
A high surf advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon on the peninsula. A wind advisory was in effect until 10 a.m. in inland areas and on the peninsula.
A flood advisory was also in effect on the peninsula until early Saturday morning.
A frost advisory will also take effect in parts of the North Bay starting at 1 a.m. Sunday and is set to continue through 9 a.m. Monday.
Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the rain will cause moderate soil saturation, but he did not anticipate as significant problems as past storms with tree uprooting.
PG&E is staging crews and equipment in advance of the storm to expedite any repair work that is needed, but the utility warned that residents in remote, elevated areas could face days without power.
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Snow is forecast for elevations above 2,000 feet and a few inches are forecast for Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County.
Road conditions in the Sierra foothills are expected to deteriorate rapidly on Friday as a blizzard warning is in effect from 4 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Sunday. Driving conditions are forecast to be "nearly impossible," according to the Weather Service. Drivers are urged not to travel in the area. Closures are anticipated on Interstate Highway 80 and U.S. Highway 50.
High surf advisory for North Bay to Central Coast
A high surf advisory from the Weather Service is also in effect for coastal areas from 10 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday. Waves between 15-20 feet are forecast from the North Bay down to the Central Coast.
"The west-facing beaches are going to see the worst, so people need to be careful going out there," said Behringer.
He reminded beachgoers to not turn their back to the water and to be aware that waves can gather and break faster than anticipated during high surf events.
PG&E also reminded the public to never touch downed wires, use flashlights rather than candles if power goes out in the home, and to have a portable charging device for a cellphone.
- View PG&E outage map for latest updates