SF Bay Area to see return of muggy weather thanks to tropical storm

The last remnants of Tropical Storm Elida are swirling over California, bringing humid, muggy weather back to San Francisco and a chance of showers and heavy rain in the Lake Tahoe area. 

Read more New drug targets Calif. disease that ‘does not spare the healthy’

The San Francisco Bay Area can expect to see above-average humidity on Tuesday and temperatures trending about 10 degrees above normal, according to Roger Gass, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the region could hit the mid-90s in some areas.

Gass said a ridge of high pressure is stuck to the east in the Rocky Mountains area, while a trough of low pressure is over the Pacific Northwest. It’s the trough that is the “exit route” for Elida as the storm fully dissipates, according to the weather service’s forecast discussion.

“We’re going to be kind of in between patterns,” Gass explained.

On Tuesday, downtown San Francisco is forecast to hit 82 degrees, Oakland is expected to hit 85, San Jose is expected to reach 93, and Santa Rosa is expected to hit 91. 

While there’s not likely to be heavy rain, the humidity from Elida will also increase the risk of occasional showers and light sprinkles that the region already saw on Monday. However, Gass said most of the rain will evaporate before it hits the ground.

The humidity and hottest temperatures are expected in the area on Tuesday, but it will take about another day for daytime breezes to return and help move out humid weather.

“This is tropical moisture that’ll keep surface dewpoint temperatures in the upper 50s/60s Wednesday,” the weather service’s forecast discussion read. “Dewpoints in this range will make it feel muggy Wednesday while the mid to upper levels will be drier.”

Read more Monsoon season bringing death and destruction to national parks around southwest

Gass said currently, no lightning strikes have been recorded in the area, meaning the risk of wildfire remains low. 

While the Bay Area will likely stay dry, if humid, on Tuesday, monsoonal moisture in the Sierra Nevada could bring heavy showers. South Lake Tahoe and Truckee are both under flash flood watches due to the chance of slow moving storms dumping rain in the area.

“Deeper monsoonal moisture combined with daytime heating will produce scattered thunderstorms this afternoon and evening,” the weather service’s forecast discussion read.