Spectators watch the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco Bay during Fleet Week on Oct. 11, 2024.
Spectators watch the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco Bay during Fleet Week on Oct. 11, 2024.
The Bay Area is in for some weather whiplash, as triple-digit temperatures are expected to plummet following a multiday October heat wave, leading to possible impacts that could impede viewing conditions for this weekend’s Fleet Week air shows.
“A drastic change is coming,” Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, told SFGATE on Wednesday afternoon.
While cities like Livermore have reached a high of 100 degrees every day since last Saturday and other interior portions of the region have seen widespread temperatures in the 90s, Flynn said “a sharp cooldown” is forecast to arrive by the weekend. This upcoming Saturday, temperatures will likely linger closer to the 70s, or in the upper 50s and low 60s along the coastline.
The Blue Angels fly in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco while practicing for their Fleet Week performance on Oct. 10, 2019.
The Blue Angels fly in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco while practicing for their Fleet Week performance on Oct. 10, 2019.
Three separate disturbances are merging together to contribute to the chillier weather: The jet stream, or a fast-flowing, narrow band of strong wind in the upper atmosphere, is dipping toward Northern California. A weak low-pressure system is also expected to slide in from the west by Thursday. And from the south, the remnants of Hurricane Rachel are also likely to head toward California.
“Together, they’ll bring us a high amplitude trough of low pressure that will completely flip the script,” Flynn said.
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High winds are in the forecast starting as early as Friday afternoon, which could impact that afternoon’s air show, including the highly anticipated return of the Blue Angels after last year’s government shutdown. Winds of up to 30 mph are expected to come in from the northwest, peaking on Saturday and decreasing by Sunday. Flynn said no advisories are in effect at the moment — the criteria typically include wind speeds of at least 39 mph — but forecasters are continuing to monitor the situation.
The Blue Angels fly near Alcatraz Island and over San Francisco Bay on Oct. 5, 2023.
The Blue Angels fly near Alcatraz Island and over San Francisco Bay on Oct. 5, 2023.
The good news is that while some fog has been confined along the coastline during the hotter days of this week, the winds may push it out overnight on Thursday. “If there are clouds, they should be moving through pretty fast,” Flynn said. Bearing that in mind, he encouraged people who are heading out for the aerial spectacle to bundle up and expect chilly conditions.
“I’m not the expert, but there could be some disruptions to programming,” he noted. “We’re looking at strong winds offshore and a southerly swell with waves of 10 to 12 feet high, which is pretty rough. That may be an issue that could impact flying conditions.”
The weather service is in close contact with the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure the show will go on safely.
Spectators watch the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco Bay during Fleet Week on Oct. 11, 2024.
Spectators watch the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco Bay during Fleet Week on Oct. 11, 2024.
The Bay Area is also about to enter a coastal flood advisory at 9 a.m. on Friday that will remain in effect through 3 p.m. on Tuesday, as a little over a foot of water is expected in low-lying areas along the coastline. The new moon is driving the tidal influence, which Flynn described as a normal phenomenon that occurs twice a month. But with El Niño and warming waters, “the tides are a foot higher than they’re supposed to be,” he said.
“So when you add an extra foot of water to a normal spring tide, we’re talking about king tide territory,” he said.
Normally, forecasters see king tide levels with a big storm surge. “But what’s unusual and what I’ve never seen is that we have a foot of storm surge on a sunny, warm day before the storm is here,” Flynn continued. “Everything built on top of that means it’s going to be a very impactful year from a coastal flooding perspective. We’re very likely to break some records come November.”
The Fleet Week air shows kick off with opening ceremonies at 12:15 p.m. on Friday and the Blue Angels taking flight at 3 p.m. Programming runs through Sunday afternoon.
Check with theweather service for the latest updates on the forecast.
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Oct 7, 2026|Updated Oct 7, 2026 3:43 p.m.