Residents of the East Bay may wake up Tuesday to a surprising sight: snow on Mount Diablo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For much of the three-day Presidents\u2019 Day weekend, the Bay Area has experienced steady rain with intermittent downpours, with some reliably wet locations in Marin and Santa Cruz counties recording several inches since Saturday. <\/p>\n
The next round of storms will be accompanied by notably chillier air, bringing the possibility of snowfall to inland summits.<\/p>\n
The best chance for snow is farther south, according to Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey, Calif.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s most likely down in the Santa Lucia\/Carmel Valley area,\u201d he said. \u201cBut cold air is setting up, and some people may see snow at the very top of Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton.\u201d<\/p>\n
The white stuff might not melt quickly, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cCold air might be trapped at the very top,\u201d Behringer said. \u201cAnd we might get another shot at snow into the middle of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sierra Nevada is getting the brunt of the snowfall. <\/p>\n
A winter storm warning (opens in new tab)<\/a> for Tahoe is in effect through Wednesday night, with total accumulations expected to be between two and three feet around the lake basin and as much as five feet at higher elevations. Winds will be strong, with 50 mph gusts topping out at 100 mph at the summits.<\/p>\n Closer to sea level, the risk of snow may be minimal, but there\u2019s plenty of rain \u2014 San Francisco received more than an inch on Sunday. <\/p>\n From Monday into Tuesday, Behringer added, the city may net another two inches, with lighter rounds of rain later in the week adding another inch.<\/p>\n This wet, windy weather is causing disruption at major airports. <\/p>\n As of Monday morning, San Francisco International Airport had seen more than 100 flights delayed an average of two hours but only two cancellations. Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport was faring better, with only 14 delayed flights and four cancellations.\u00a0<\/p>\n This weekend\u2019s rain marks a reversal of a persistent dry pattern after a promising start to the year. The first week of January was wet, replenishing reservoirs across California to the point that the entire state was drought-free (opens in new tab)<\/a> for the first time in 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n