000 FXUS66 KMTR 041608 AFDMTR AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CA 908 AM PDT SAT JUL 4 2009 .DISCUSSION...AS OF 9:05 AM PDT SATURDAY...STRATUS IS DEEPER THIS MORNING THAN YESTERDAY WITH THE FORT ORD PROFILER INDICATING A MARINE LAYER APPROACHING 2000 FEET DEEP. THE CURRENT VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGE IS SHOWING STRATUS WELL INTO THE EAST BAY AREA AND IT HAS ALSO PUSHED DEEP INTO THE SALINAS VALLEY. THESE LOW CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO CLEAR OUT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA BY 1100 AM PDT AND THE MONTEREY BAY AREA SHOULD SEE CLEAR SKIES BY 1200 PM PDT. THE BIG CONCERN OF THE DAY WILL BE WHETHER OR NOT THERE WILL BE LOW CLOUDS TONIGHT FOR THE FIRE WORKS. LOW CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE DISTRICT TONIGHT BUT THEY WILL NOT AFFECT THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY...STRATUS IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE MONTEREY BAY SANTA CRUZ AREA AROUND 8:00 OR 9:00 PM PDT. OTHERWISE A PLEASANT DAY IS IN STORE FOR THE FORECAST AREA WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S ALONG THE COAST AND UPPER 70S TO LOW 90S INLAND. CURRENTLY THE WATER VAPOUR IMAGE IS SHOWING A TROUGH OFF OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...CENTERED AT ABOUT 140 WEST AND 43 N. THE MODEL SOLUTIONS HAVE INITIALIZED WELL WITH THIS FEATURE AND MOVE IT INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON BY SUNDAY EVENING. AS THE LOW SLIDES INLAND OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUASI ZONAL FLOW MOVES INTO THE CWA. 500MB HEIGHTS ARE PROGGED TO FALL A BIT WITH THE 1200 UTC GFS SHOWING THE GREATEST COOLING WEDNESDAY. THE GFS IS FORECASTING 850 MB TEMPERATURES AROUND 14 DEGREES CELSIUS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WHICH IS 4 DEGREES WARMER THAN PREVIOUS RUNS. && .AVIATION...AS OF 4:26 AM SATURDAY...WIDESPREAD STRATUS COVERS ALL TERMINALS THIS MORNING. THE MARINE LAYER IS A TOUCH DEEPER THAN YESTERDAY AND IS APPROX AT 2K FEET WITH INCREASED SFO-SAC GRADIENT OF 3 PLUS MB. THAT BEING SAID...THINK BURN OFF TIMES THIS MORNING WILL BE A LITTLE LATER THAN YESTERDAY. VICINITY OF KSFO...WIDESPREAD CIGS COVER THE BAY AT 1100-1400 FEET. BURN OFF THIS MORNING WILL LIKELY OCCUR BETWEEN 17-18Z. 18Z MAY BE THE BETTER BET WITH THE INCREASED ONSHORE FLOW. AFTERNOON GUSTY NW WINDS WILL BE POSS AT KSFO. STRATUS WILL MOVE IN AGAIN TONIGHT WITH SIMILAR RESULTS. KSFO BRIDGE APPROACH...CIGS AND BURN OFF TIME WILL BE SIMILAR TO KSFO. MONTEREY BAY TERMINALS...STRATUS OVER MRY AND SNS THROUGH 18-19Z. STRATUS WILL ONCE AGAIN MAKE AN EARLY RETURN TONIGHT. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .TDA...SCA...SF BAY STARTING AT 11 AM. && $$ PUBLIC FORECAST: LARRY AVIATION/MARINE: MM NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO