More than two weeks after ringing in 2023 with a series of historic, disruptive and, at times, frightening atmospheric river storms in the Bay Area, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for most of the week with a “normal” winter forecast of bitterly cold air, light breezes and a beaming sun in the sky throughout the region.

Tuesday saw calm and chilly air throughout the Bay Area. Highs in the mid-50s were consistent throughout, with San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland each expected to top out at 55 degrees. Overnight temperatures were expected to be in the mid-30s, accompanied by calm winds and no moisture.

The forecast calls for more rain for the region today, but the totals are not expected to be more than one-quarter of an inch in the urban centers, and the showers are not expected to be accompanied by high winds.

The National Weather Service does warn, however, that more rainfall on the already saturated soils could aggravate flooding and mudslide concerns, like many Bay Area communities experienced Monday.

Those showers should diminish by Thursday, however, as temperatures were forecast to drop to highs in the low 50s before slowly rising to the high 50s by Saturday, giving the Bay Area its first completely dry weekend of 2023.

In the Sierra Nevada, Caltrans crews were taking advantage of the dry weather Tuesday to clear snow and mudslides from roads. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for much of the Sierra starting tonight and into Thursday, with expected strong winds that could cause tree damage. Another 3 to 8 inches of snow could fall in the Tahoe area, with 6 to 12 inches forecast above 7,000 feet.