This is getting to be familiar, if not old: It was really cold again this morning throughout the Bay Area. The National Weather Service has a complete list of the coldest temperatures seen throughout the region through 7 a.m. The highlights: Napa Airport: 16; Angwin, a little town on Howell Mountain between Calistoga and Pope Valley, 13; San Ramon, 23; San Jose airport, 30. It was 40 in San Francisco. You get the picture.
Let's turn now to what could happen next. A storm is on the way, and forecasters say rain could begin late this afternoon from San Francisco north. The weather system isn't a big deal in rainfall terms, with less than an inch expected. But the weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of the Bay Area. The storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of snow to elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above sea level and 6 inches to areas above 3,000 feet. The National Weather Service summary of the impact: Roadways above 2,500 feet will become snow or slush covered and slippery."
Where are those places above 2,000 feet? Mount Hamilton (just over 4,200 feet) and the surrounding Diablo Range to the north, west, and south; Mount Diablo (3,849 feet); the Santa Cruz Mountains; the Coast Range up the Peninsula; and Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. The Berkeley-Oakland Hills top out at 1,900 feet.
So: A lot of us will see snow on the surrounding peaks, and a few of us will drive up to see if there's enough of the frozen stuff to have a snowball fight.
Of course, if it snows in the hills, what are the chances we'll see some at sea level. Very, very small.