Windy, wet day ahead

<p>A cold front bringing rain to the North Coast and greater Bay Area on Friday is expected to produce high winds in the North and East Bay hills, as well as the Sonoma coast, authorities said.</p><p>A wind advisory has been issued through 1 p.m. in the higher elevations, the National Weather Service said.</p><p>Gale and small craft advisory warnings also have been issued for the coast through Friday night, the U.S. Coast Guard said.</p><p>Rain already had begun north of Ukiah early Friday and was expected to spread southward, hitting Santa Rosa around 9 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Benjamin said.</p><p>Wind coming ahead of the cold front and just behind it was expected to create four or five hours of high wind in upper elevations, but “it's going to be breezy all over,” he said.</p><p>“It should rain much of the day, and then as the front goes through — probably around early afternoon — things should change, with showers by later this afternoon,” he said.</p><p>A chance of very light rain persists on Saturday afternoon and evening.</p><p>But the area should clear out and dry up by Monday, bringing sunny skies and warm temperatures in the upper 60s for the rest of the week, he said.</p><p>“It looks like a pretty nice Thanksgiving day — like 69 degrees,” Benjamin said.</p><p>In the meantime, Friday's storm could drop up to 2 inches of rain in upper elevations, though closer an inch or less in the valleys.</p><p>Temperatures should remain in the mid-50s, with windy conditions.</p><p>Wind gusts of up to 45 mph are possible over the North and East Bay hills, the National Weather Service said.</p><p>Off the coast, gale force winds of 23 to 35 mph with occasional gusts as high as 50 mph should accompany rain through Friday evening, the Coast Guard predicted.</p><p>Swells up to 15 feet also are forecast.</p><p>Another storm system is projected after the Thanksgiving holiday, though it may hold off through the weekend, Benjamin said.</p><p>“I think we've got a good Thanksgiving weekend coming up,” he said.</p>