After gusty winds Thursday night, dramatically cooler air is arriving Friday, as a cold front drops down from the Pacific Northwest.

After a week of highs well into the 90s, afternoon temperatures will peak in the low 70s Friday, with gradually warming through the labor day weekend.

According to Brian Garcia, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Monterey, it's something of a signal that California's seasonal dry period is starting to come to a close.

photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCB

 "Typically we're under an area of high pressure across the west and it just kind of blocks everything from coming towards us," Garcia said.

That high pressure, which generally forms in April and lingers into the autumn is starting to break down.

"It's actually going to be really interesting this weekend because we have an area of low pressure starting to dive in from the Pacific Northwest and that's actually going to cause a sharp drop in temperatures as we get into Friday," Garcia told KRCB News on Thursday. "We're going to see probably a good twenty degree drop as that area of low pressure brings some cool oceanic air off of coastal British Columbia and coastal Washington, down towards our area, so, when we get to September 1, meteorological fall, it's actually going to feel a little bit like fall."

The cold front is likely to bring some rain to far northern California and Oregon. There's about a twenty percent chance the North Bay will see a bit of light rain and drizzle Saturday morning and early afternoon.