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The National Weather Service has issued a Weather Alert that impacts East Contra Costa County which says a cold storm is expected to hit the Bay Area Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Rain is expected to range from one-quarter of an inch to one-half inch with higher amounts possible.
A winter storm watch is in effect for the Sierra Nevada beginning Tuesday morning.
Dry weather is expected by Thanksgiving.
Here is a look at the alert:
...COLD STORM TO SPREAD PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND MONTEREY BAY AREA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY... A COLD STORM SYSTEM MOVING SOUTHEAST FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL BRING LIGHT TO MODERATE AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...ALONG WITH MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES. A COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN INTO THE NORTH BAY ON TUESDAY MORNING...THEN SOUTH ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON...AND FINALLY INTO THE MONTEREY BAY AREA BY LATE AFTERNOON. THERE IS EXPECTED TO BE A BREAK IN THE WET WEATHER FOR MUCH OF TUESDAY EVENING BEFORE A SECOND ROUND OF PRECIPITATION DEVELOPS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND END BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH WEDNESDAY ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM ONE-QUARTER TO ONE-HALF INCH. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM IS QUITE COLD AND SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO 3000 FEET BY LATE TUESDAY AND AS LOW AS 2500 FEET BY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE ON AREA MOUNTAIN PEAKS ABOVE 3000 FEET...ESPECIALLY IN THE SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS OF MONTEREY COUNTY WERE A COUPLE OF INCHES OF SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE BY LATE WEDNESDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE LOCALLY GUSTY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST NEAR THE COAST WHERE LOCAL WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN BY THANKSGIVING DAY. THANKSGIVING WILL BE A COOL DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S. COOL WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND...WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS EXPECTED TO DROP TO NEAR FREEZING IN THE INLAND VALLEYS BEGINNING LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THANKSGIVING MORNING. THE COLDEST NIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO BE THURSDAY NIGHT...FRIDAY NIGHT...AND SATURDAY NIGHT. FROST ADVISORIES OR FREEZE WARNINGS MAY BE ISSUED LATER IN THE WEEK. WEATHER IMPACTS THIS WEEK INCLUDE: * WET ROADWAYS DURING THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE IN THE NORTH BAY...AND DURING THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON COMMUTE ELSEWHERE. * WET ROADWAYS FOR THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE...OR FOR THOSE STARTING THANKSGIVING TRAVEL ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. * SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...INCLUDING INTERSTATE 80. * SEVERAL COLD MORNINGS LATER THIS WEEK...BEGINNING ON THANKSGIVING MORNING. ACTION MAY BE NEEDED TO PROTECT SENSITIVE OUTDOOR VEGETATION FROM FROST LATER IN THE WEEK...PRIMARILY IN INLAND VALLEY LOCATIONS. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UP TO DATE WEATHER INFORMATION DURING THIS HOLIDAY WEEK.