Snow Predicted in Bay Area at 1,000 Feet

If you’re lucky this weekend, you’ll stick out your tongue and catch a snowflake.

Low-falling snow may tempt our Mediterranean climate-loving selves to play hooky on Friday, Bay Area meteorologists are saying.

From the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Mt. Diablo range, from Sonoma Mountain to Mount Madonna, meteorologists predict snow will fall on anything above 1,000 feet Thursday night.

By Friday night, scattered precipitation could deliver snow at sea level in some spots—depending on when the really cold temperatures arrive.

"It has to be the right combination of factors, in just the right sequence," said Jan Null, meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Service. “First, you need the cold air, then the precipitation, not just cold rain.”

The last time just the right combination came together was Feb. 5, 1976, when a broad cold front brought snow all over the Bay Area. Before that, Jan. 15, 1962, brought less than an inch, just a few months after our president was born.

The heaviest precipitation arrives in the Bay Area on Thursday and is predicted to be over before very cold air arrives that would bring snow lower. The best guess is only a 50:50 chance, but you never know in the weather business.

"The temperatures are going to be the bigger story after that," said Null. He expects a hard freeze on Saturday morning to Sunday, with lots of 20-degree readings around the bay.

Still, on Friday morning you could very well see Skyline Road in the East Bay hills—at 1,000 feet—quite covered with snow, Null said.

A snowy tableau is a powerful magnet. It tempts flatlanders into the hills to flex their snowball-throwing muscles … sometimes getting their vehicles stuck when they pull off the road to play.

It also is treacherous for those who don’t have snowman building with the family on the agenda.

“We recommend you have a back-up plan if you go over mountains for your commute,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson.

If driving conditions are hazardous, Caltrans often shuts down Highway 17 between Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley. Ditto for Mt. Hamilton rising on the opposite range above Silicon Valley. Authorities shut the gate at Mt. Diablo Junction leading to Mt. Diablo.

Anderson just shakes his head when it comes to Sonoma County.

“It's just going to be a mess Friday morning,” he said. “People will be trying to get over mountains and they won't be able to get over.”

If you do find yourselves heading to the nearby hills, share your photos with Albany Patch here.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a ring at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an e-mail at emilier@patch.com.