Bay Area weather forecast predicts cooler temperatures and rain this week

“We are expecting a change in the pattern. It’s going to be pretty substantial,” Weather Service meteorologist Rachel Kennedy said.

By midweek, daytime highs will be in the upper 70s in most areas and near 60 along the coast.

On Thursday and Friday, more areas around the region will start dropping into the 60s and low 70s, Kennedy said.

“And that’s when rain starts to return to the forecast. We’re expecting light beneficial rain Thursday through Sunday,” she said.

Rain totals will likely be around a quarter of an inch along most of the Bay shoreline and in lower elevation areas.

Some areas could see as much as three quarters of an inch and higher elevations like the North Bay mountains, East Bay Hills and Santa Cruz mountains will see totals of between three quarters of an inch and 1 inch of rain.

Along with the rain chances, there will also be the potential for thunderstorms — which peaks on Friday afternoon — especially in the interior areas of the East Bay, South Bay and Central Coast.

After the wet weekend, long-range indications are showing the possibility of more low-pressure systems moving through the region, which could bring more rain during the next couple of weeks.