First Winter Storm Watch since 2011 issued for parts of Bay Area as coldest temps of season expected

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Cold temperatures and winter storms with possible snow will come to the Bay Area this week.

A rare Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Eastern Hills of Santa Clara County.

The last watch was back in 2011.

LIVE: Track rain in San Francisco Bay Area with Live Doppler 7

The coldest air this season and coldest daytime highs in years are possible by Friday afternoon.

Here's what will happen throughout the week:

WINDY WEATHER

A Wind Advisory begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday for the entire Bay Area. Gusts range from 45-65 mph.

A High Wind Warning is in effect for the coast until 9 a.m. Wednesday, gusts to 60 mph will continue to down trees and cause outages.

COLD AIR ARRIVES

A Frost Advisory is in effect Tuesday night along the coast and around the Bay shoreline.

By Friday afternoon we are stuck in the 40s which could be the coldest afternoon in years in some parts of the region. For instance, San Jose's high of 49 would be the coldest since December 2015.

RAIN SHOWERS

Wednesday through Friday will be a 1 on the ABC7 exclusive Storm Impact Scale.

There is no defined line or specific time for the worst rain. It will just be scattered showers at times mixing with sunshine.

SNOW SHOWERS

A rare Winter Storm Watch was issued for Santa Cruz Mountains/Eastern Hills Santa Clara County Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Above 1,500' we could see 1"-3" of snow in places like Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Mt. Hamilton.

We will likely get another watch issued Thursday night into Friday morning and possibly affecting a larger area.

Snow levels could drop to 500' Friday morning in the North Bay so places like Napa have a chance to see snowflakes. We will also be watching the East Bay Hills for the chance for a dusting Friday morning.

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