Memorial Day weekend weather: Cloudy, warm-ish conditions expected in Sonoma County

Let’s be frank: The weather for Memorial Day weekend won’t be anything to write home about in Sonoma County. Like many areas along the West Coast, the next few days are expected to be gray and mild, weather forecasters said.

At least there are no big storms on the horizon, though.

A trough of low pressure will cause the foggy marine layer to penetrate further inland the next few days. That means most of the holiday weekend will remain cloudy across the North Bay until at least the afternoon, when there’s a better chance for sunny skies, National Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer said Friday.

If you’re headed to the Sonoma County coast, you can expect temperatures in the lower 60s and a slight breeze, Behringer said.

If you’re staying inland, in areas like Santa Rosa and Petaluma, you can expect more of the same: overcast skies with only slight temperature changes.

Friday will see daytime highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s in these areas. Saturday will offer the warmest conditions of the holiday weekend, with the potential to reach mid- to upper-70s due to a break in low pressure.

Sunday and Monday will then drop a few degrees, Behringer said.

People wishing to get out Monday on their holiday off and head into higher elevations can expect persistent cloud cover until the afternoon, unless you’re “pretty high up,” above the cloud layer, along with up to 15 mph afternoon winds, Behringer said.

Despite the lack of sun and moisture from the marine layer, no significant rain is in the forecast through Memorial Day in Sonoma County. So you can fire up that barbecue without fear of getting rained out.

“It seems like it’s gonna be a pretty nice weekend to be outside and there’s really not a lot of hazards,” he said.

In Napa, where the annual outdoor BottleRock Napa Valley music festival started Friday and runs through Sunday, conditions will be similar to neighboring Sonoma County. The weekend will be mostly dry, with highs in the lower 70s and a gradual clearing of the marine layer in the afternoon, according to the weather service.

Sunday and Monday in Napa will be mostly sunny with a high near 70 degrees, according to the weather service.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.