Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Woodacre, CA

SHORT TERM
Issued at 1243 AM PST Wed Mar 4 2026 (Today and tonight)

A cold front will move through today. The leading edge of high clouds associated with the upper level trough have reached the Bay Area but will quickly clear out through the late morning. The big question is if this front will bring any rain.
The current air mass is pretty dry. The 00Z sounding measured a PW of 0.47", which is below normal for this time of year. The new air mass behind the cold front drier still, with PW eventually dropping below 0.4" this evening. However, there is a narrow band of low level moisture associated with FROPA this morning that may be enough to trigger some light rain or drizzle, particularly where enhanced by terrain. While there is no chance for any notable accumulation, I do expect windshield wipers to be called into service for the morning commute. The cold front is fairly progressive, it will move through the Golden Gate around 9 AM and clear Big Sur by noon. The clouds will clear quickly after the front passes. The biggest weather impact today will be strong NW winds behind the front. These winds are driven by the gradient between strong high pressure in the Eastern Pacific and the surface low associated with the cold front (roughly 1037 mb vs 1008 mb). Expect sustained NW winds of 10-15 mph with gusts to 25 mph through the afternoon and early evening hours. Winds will be at least 10 mph stronger along portions of the coast exposed to NW winds.

LONG TERM
Issued at 1243 AM PST Wed Mar 4 2026 (Thursday through Tuesday)

The strong winds will continue through Friday or Saturday, although the direction will gradually veer from W today, NW Thursday, N Friday, and NE Saturday. This wind shift is in response to an evolving 500 mb pattern where the short wave trough moves through today, digs deeper over the Rockies Thursday, and eventually spawns a cut-off low by Saturday that moves off the coast of NW Mexico while a ridge builds over the CA/OR border.
This is the classic "inside slider" pattern that brings surface high pressure over the Great Basin and low pressure to the subtropical Eastern Pacific. The SFO-WMC gradient will peak around +8 mb (onshore) today before plummeting to around -8 mb (offshore) by Saturday. This evolution will trigger down- gradient N or NE winds to California. These offshore winds, combined with the dry post-frontal air mass, will bring warm temperatures and low dew points through the weekend and into early next week. Afternoon temperatures will easily reach the 70s this weekend (including along the coast), while the dry air and clear skies will allow morning temperatures to drop into the 40s. The inside slider pattern will likely break down by the middle of next week as more zonal flow returns. While we may get some clouds to return, there is no significant rain expected through the middle of the month.

AVIATION
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 929 PM PST Tue Mar 3 2026

Conditions are a mix of VFR and MVFR-IFR with increasing low clouds. Onshore winds (shallow pool of cooler air) ahead of the next cold front arriving Wednesday will continue to usher low clouds inland tonight and Wednesday, with partial clearing and gusty post frontal winds developing by late Wednesday morning and afternoon.

Vicinity of SFO...Onshore wind will continue to usher in low clouds /MVFR/ tonight and Wednesday morning. Post cold front westerly wind becoming gusty to 30 knots or possibly higher Wednesday if not late morning then in the afternoon. Gusty westerly wind likely continues Wednesday evening and overnight into early Thursday.

SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO.

Monterey Bay Terminals...Low clouds /MVFR-IFR/ tonight and Wednesday morning ahead of the next cold front arriving Wednesday.
Low clouds /MVFR/ redevelop Wednesday night. Gusty post frontal westerly to northwesterly winds to 25 to 30 knots from afternoon to early to mid evening.

MARINE
(Tonight through next Monday)
Issued at 855 PM PST Tue Mar 3 2026

A moderate northwest breeze tonight increases to a strong northwest breeze on Wednesday and near gale force winds by Thursday. These winds will build very rough seas of 12 to 15 feet across exposed waters Thursday through Friday. Both of these impacts will result in widespread hazardous conditions across the coastal waters. Seas and winds will abate for the coming weekend, but hazards to small craft persist in the northern outer waters with strong north winds and rough seas.

MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
CA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 9 AM PST Thursday for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM.

Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PST this evening for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.

Gale Warning from 9 PM this evening to 9 AM PST Thursday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.

Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PST this afternoon for Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.

Gale Warning from 3 PM this afternoon to 9 AM PST Thursday for Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.

Gale Watch from Thursday morning through late Thursday night for Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM.

Gale Warning from 9 PM this evening to 3 AM PST Friday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM.