April showers bring May flowers — and apparently a little snow, too.

A cold, low-pressure storm system moving east through the Bay Area created wintry conditions throughout the region, bringing scattered rain showers, small hail, gusty winds, occasional lightning strikes and even a few inches of snow to the peaks of Mount Diablo, Mount Hamilton and Mount Tamalpais.

Meteorologists project that the rain will continue into the weekend for residents between San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, with the chance for thunderstorms increasing to 25-35% as the polar air mass continues to destabilize the atmosphere throughout the day. Rainfall totals are not expected to surpass 0.75 inches through Friday evening.

The brisk swirl of clouds is expected to cap temperatures in the low 50s most of Thursday, dipping down to the 40s overnight.

Wind gusts ranged from 10 to 20 mph, which proved troublesome for travelers Thursday at San Francisco International Airport, where online trackers reported delays for several incoming and outbound flights.

Forecasts are similar looking ahead to Friday: Partly cloudy skies may trigger showers, and temperatures will stay cool,  struggling to rise higher than the mid-50s.

Current weather models show warmer, drier weather returning to the Bay Area early next week.

Source: www.mercurynews.com