A low-pressure system is expected to bring strong, gusty winds and possible thunderstorms to the East Bay this weekend.
The National Weather Service (NWS) on Thursday issued a wind advisory for the Berkeley and Oakland Hills for Friday and Saturday, as “local gusts of greater than 45 mph will be possible in the region’s highest peaks.” You’re asked to drive with extra caution and secure outdoor objects.
Soils are saturated from repeated rains, so the chance of trees falling and power outages are higher, according to NWS meteorologist Rachel Kennedy. Winds will likely be strongest between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday, Kennedy said.
The wind advisory, which goes into effect Friday morning and lasts until Saturday morning, does not apply to the Berkeley flats, where gusts of between 30 to 35 mph are anticipated.
The low-pressure system, which developed in the Gulf of Alaska region and has been heading south, skirting California’s coast, is forecast to deliver up to 1 inch of rain in the flats and slightly more in higher elevations. The bulk of the moderate rainfall is expected on Friday, Kennedy said, but expect light showers to linger through Sunday.
There’s a 25% chance of thunderstorms on Friday over the ocean and inland on Saturday, Kennedy said. Some nuisance flooding may occur.
The agency’s official rain gauge at the Oakland Airport, the closest one to Berkeley, has not yet been fixed. Its Hayward gauge has reached 124% of “normal” rainfall, as calculated over a 30-year period, Kennedy said.
Soak in the sun early next week while you can. “Models are hinting that things will become unsettled by the end of the week again,” Kennedy said.
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