Dramatic drop in temps, showers and gusty winds to put a damper on outdoor Bay Area businesses

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Starting Friday, temperatures are expected to drop dramatically in the Bay Area. Some places may even see light rain for the first time in months and merchants are preparing for the big change in weather.

A major cooling pattern is on the way, and a cold front will slide south across the Bay Area Friday morning.

Temperatures will drop 10-20 degrees from Thursday, with winds increasing and gusting to over 30 mph. With 10-15 foot waves, a high surf advisory has been issued, and the Sierras are under a Winter Storm Watch with 6-12" of snowfall forecasted.

Here in the Bay Area, the forecast models have been going back and forth with rain chances. Friday's storm won’t be an all-day soaker. In fact, some neighborhoods may just see a mixture of sun and clouds for a good portion of the day.

Rain projections range from .01" to .15".  It looks the higher amounts may be focused in the South Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains. Shower activity may pick up Friday evening.

Major cooling is on the way!

At the Los Gatos Creek Trail on Thursday, plenty of people were enjoying the warm weather while it lasts.

“Perfection,” said Ashley St. Cin of San Jose. “It’s not too cold, not too hot, there’s no wind, there’s a little breeze.”

“You go to Montana or Minnesota they are in the snow, you couldn’t walk around in shorts and a tank top,” said Jeff Goytia of San Jose.

“It’s unfortunate it's going to get cold,” said Alexander Guilliano of Sushi Confidential. “It’s going to hurt us a lot.”

Sushi Confidential in Campbell has awnings in the front and waterproof cabanas in the back parking lot for al fresco dining. 

“Also, we bought some heaters,” said Guilliano. “The heaters are so hard to find we had to drive from here to Santa Rosa.”

In all, management spending $15,000 for their outdoor setup hoping it will be cozy and warm enough to help the restaurant get by as the weather turns colder.

“With our outside seating it has helped us a lot,” said Guilliano. “We could drop down by 60 to 70 percent.”

After unusually warm temperatures even wildfire smoke, fall weather is expected to arrive Friday. Temperatures in some spots could drop as much as 20 degrees bringing cooler temperatures, wind and some rain.

“I can't wait to move into the rain and snow in the Sierra because we are going into a drought,” said Dolly Sandoval of Cupertino.

“We are lucky it stayed warm for this long to be perfectly honest,” said Emma Zercher, general manager of CycleBar.

In downtown Los Gatos, the majority of CycleBar's patio is covered. Additional tents and tarps are set up to shield riders from the cold brisk air. The gym is hoping to operate outdoors as long as possible.

“We make the joke that when we are indoors you start off really cold because of the air conditioning,” said Zercher. “Halfway through the class you would take your sweatshirt off regardless.”

Patron Mary Rallo is willing to ride out what mother nature has in store.

“When we ride, we are getting so hot into the first song already so I’m actually looking forward to it,” said Rallo.

The cool/windy weather pattern sticks around for the weekend.