Harsh winds, big surf to give way to calm and sunny Bay Area weather conditions

Winds were whipping through much of the Bay Area early Tuesday and dangerous surf continued to pound the beaches throughout the Northern California coast. But both of those weather conditions came with a finish line in sight, according to the National Weather Service, and a long stretch of calm, sunny weather waited on deck.

“Yes, it should be pretty pleasant,” NWS meteorologist Rick Canepa said. “We’ve got a system going through the western states, and there’s strong high pressure over the Great Basin, which is causing the high pressure to build over us. So you’re going to see dry weather and lower humidity. It’s also going to reduce the chances of fog.”

Temperatures are expected to build into the low to mid-60s in areas of the region by the end of the work week, according to the weather service, and sunny weather also is forecast.

By then, the strong winds and surf are anticipated to be gone. On Tuesday, they were expected to carry on powerfully, with winds strong enough that they could drop trees and making driving dangerous, and the surf continuing with a powerful intensity it has shown since last week.

The weather service extended a wind advisory until 10 a.m. Wednesday and expanded the area under the advisory to include the North Bay interior valleys and coast, San Francisco, the San Francisco Bayshore, the the East Bay interior and valleys. Northeasterly winds blowing toward the ocean are expected to reach regular speeds of 20-30 mph and may have gusts of up to 40 mph in the valleys and 50 mph in the higher elevations, according to the weather service.

Along the coast, the beach waves could reach as high as 20 feet and sneaker waves and rip currents will be in abundance, according to the weather service. A beach hazards statement was extended through 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The winds and the waves will be the storm before the calm. Canepa said the long-term forecast shows only dry weather and that no system with rain is on the near horizon.

“Some people may be looking forward to rain coming back eventually, but others may be looking forward to this break,” Canepa said. “It will take a while for this to play out. California will be under a high-pressure bubble for the time being.”