Greg Porter

California, Edinburgh

Senior Newsroom Meteorologist at San Francisco Chronicle

Senior Newsroom Meteorologist for the @sfchronicle. Previously @washingtonpost. Lover of snowstorms, hurricanes and kitties 🐈‍⬛

Articles

Unsettled California weather could last a while according to forecast models

1 week ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

Above-average precipitation is expected across the Sierra and the foothills during the month of May. Baron/Lynx A lingering upper-level trough will keep California locked in a springtime pattern of cooler than average temperatures, scattered showers and occasional high-elevation snow through at least mid-May.
Bay Area temperatures are climbing — but rain and coastal clouds loom

2 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

Tuesday will be one of the warmest days this week, with inland areas easily rising into the 70s and close to 80 degrees by the afternoon. NOAAA shot of inland warmth will kick off the week, but coastal weather will be much more of a moving target. As April gives way to May, a transient pattern will bring back-and-forth shifts to the region, especially near the coast.
Why upcoming California storm system is different from recent ones

2 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

A low-pressure system will be cut off from the general atmospheric flow as it lingers off the California coast on Saturday. Baron/Lynx A slow spring storm is headed for California this weekend, but it’s missing one key ingredient that typically drives the state’s most intense weather events: the jet stream. Instead, this weekend’s storm system is the atmospheric equivalent of a boat adrift at sea.
Late-season California storm to bring scattered rain, thunderstorms, and snow

2 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

The storm system will bring most of its precipitation to the Central Coast and Southern California on Saturday morning. Baron/Lynx A cut-off low pressure system spinning just off the California coast is set to bring scattered rain, isolated thunderstorms and a shot of late-season mountain snow to much of the state Friday into Saturday. But with the storm expected to track farther south, the most active weather is now expected to center on the Central Coast and Southern California.
Bay Area braces for storm system. Here's when rain is expected to return

3 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

Scattered showers are likely to be dispersed through the area on Friday evening. Baron/Lynx After a sun-soaked and unusually dry April, rain is finally back in the Bay Area forecast. A potential storm system is expected to approach the region late this week, marking the first credible shot at widespread precipitation since early April. So far San Francisco has logged measurable rain on just three days in April, adding up to a quarter inch, more than an inch below normal for this time of year.
Why California air quality — and allergies — could be extra bad this year

3 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

In January, downtown Los Angeles was covered in haze and smoke as dangerous wildfires burned across the region. Brontë Wittpenn/The ChronicleA new drought outlook, released by a coalition of state and federal agencies, paints a concerning picture for California’s spring: worsening air quality fueled by dry soils, gusty winds and an uptick in airborne particulates like dust and pollen. California’s wet season is just about over and it was a bust for the southern half of the state.
Bay Area forecast: Marine layer returns ahead of weekend warmup

1 month ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

The biggest wild card over the next 48 hours will be the marine layer. With relatively weak winds overhead, it’s difficult to pin down just how far inland the low clouds will creep, especially late at night and into the early morning hours. Some pockets of drizzle aren’t out of the question near the coast. If you’re up early Friday or Saturday morning, it may feel like the fog is flirting with the shoreline but never fully committing.
Bay Area spring temperatures are coming back. Here's when to expect warmer weather

1 month ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

It's time to flip the switch back to spring. The unsettled weather of the past few days is winding down, and beginning Wednesday we start a slow, steady warmup that'll eventually push temperatures into the 70s by the weekend. That said, maybe don't break out the shorts and T-shirts just yet. Wednesday marks the start of a transition, not a full leap, into a warmer, more stable pattern. Along the immediate coast, it'll still feel cool and stay partly cloudy.
Is California done with the rain? Here's what to expect

1 month ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

California is in for one last burst of stormy weather to kick off April - but it won't last long. "In the very short term, it does look cooler and wetter. But quickly thereafter, that system will go through and you're going to enter a period of gradually warming temperatures," said Jon Gottschalck, a forecaster with the Climate Prediction Center.
California braces for back-to-back storms. How much rain is on the way?

1 month ago | sfchronicle.com | Greg Porter

It's not time to put away the rain gear just yet. A stormy pattern is set to return to California over the next week. When it's all said and done, parts of the state will be soaked by several inches of rain, jeopardizing some April rainfall records. Over the next seven days, the state will see multiple shots at significant spring rainfall. The pattern is so persistent with storm activity that it may be hard to distinguish when one storm system ends and a new one begins.