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Brief Cooldown Brings Fog and Light Rain to California Before Weekend Warmup

A weak Pacific low is deepening the marine layer, producing dense morning fog with spotty light rain before high pressure returns this weekend.

Overview

  • Forecasters report the breakdown of a prolonged high‑pressure ridge, ushering in cooler, cloudier conditions through Friday.
  • Patchy to dense morning fog is widespread along coastal, bay and valley areas, lowering visibility for commutes in the Bay Area and Central Valley.
  • Light precipitation is focused along the Central and Southern Coast, with most spots receiving a trace to a few hundredths of an inch and coastal slopes around 0.10–0.25 inch, highest on south‑facing mountains.
  • Snow is confined to high elevations with minimal accumulation expected, and Tahoe will likely see little to no snow from this weak system.
  • Isolated, fast‑moving thunderstorms are possible over higher terrain Thursday, then a drying and warming trend returns over the weekend as high pressure rebuilds, with models hinting at another rain chance late January into early February.