Navy’s Blue Angels to practice over Bay Area on Thursday

The Blue Angels fly past Sutro Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid on a practice flight for this weekend's Fleet Week air shows in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The Blue Angels fly past Sutro Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid on a practice flight for this weekend's Fleet Week air shows in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2016 Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2016 Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close Navy’s Blue Angels to practice over Bay Area on Thursday 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

The booms, whooshes and shrieks over the Bay Area start at noon Thursday when the Blue Angels precision jet team begins practicing for its weekend shows.

The practice sessions and “survey flights” of the Navy’s six jets will occur sporadically on Thursday afternoon until about 5 p.m., according to a spokesman for Fleet Week.

The Blue Angels will perform from 3 to 4 p.m. as the closing act in the Fleet Week air shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. The shows begin at noon with biplanes, stunt pilots, parachutists and other aerial performers. The best viewing spots are along the northern waterfront in San Francisco.

On Friday at 11 a.m., the traditional parade of ships enters the bay beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Free tours of the vessels are available through Monday. For details, visit www.fleetweeksf.org.

The San Francisco Police Department said it planned to patrol the festivities on foot, bike, motorcycle, car and boat. Nautical officers will help the Coast Guard keep civilian boats out of the performance area.

Police said they expect more than 1 million spectators. They urged Fleet Week fans to take public transit and allow extra travel time.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com