Stormy Again on Wednesday

The next storm system will be here on Wednesday, bringing rain and gusty winds to the region.
Showers taper off for some areas overnight as the previous system departs. However, moist and somewhat unstable onshore flow may bring a few more showers into coastal areas overnight. The new, fast-moving system will be here around midday on Wednesday. We’ll see a period of moderate rain along with gusty northwesterly winds. Behind the front, we break into showers for the remainder of the evening, though the gusty northwesterly winds may continue to 20-30mph. While those winds aren’t extreme in and of themselves, trees and debris affected by this weekend’s severe southerly winds may become dislodged and create new hazards. Showers will continue into Thursday, slowly tapering off. Oh, and it’s going to be chilly! Wednesday’s highs will be around 10ºF below normal and snow levels will dip to 3500ft

AIR QUALITY: Good

*BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT*
… in effect until late tonight for the entire coast.

*Long period and larger swell will bring an increased sneaker wave threat to local beaches. Breaking waves may be up to 10 feet.

*Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches. Sneaker waves can also move large objects such as logs, crushing anyone caught underneath.

*For the beach hazards statement, long period and large swell will bring an increased sneaker wave threat. Never turn your back on the ocean!

Overnight: Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Snow levels down to 4,000ft. Lows in the 40s. Breezy northwesterly winds at times. Patchy fog.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with rain in the late morning to early afternoon, then showers through the evening. Gusty northwesterly winds at times, especially during the afternoon. Chilly, with highs in the low to mid 50s for most areas—40s up in the hills and snow levels dipping to 3,500ft.

Thursday: Partly cloudy with scattered showers (snow levels 3,500ft). Cool and breezy with highs in the 50s.

Extended: Friday is trending drier, so I’ve removed rain from the forecast. We’ll be dry and seasonable through the weekend and into early next week with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. One model is showing a weak system moving by on Sunday, so we’ll keep an eye on it. The pattern looks to remain dry until if shifts back to stormy somewhere around February 18^th.

*Note: Any alerts from the National Weather Service in Monterey will be noted in italics above. Alerts may be edited for brevity or local clarification (in parenthesis) 

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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 61ºF

--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 39ºF
HIGH: 62ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for February 14^th – 20^th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.

- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: Strong to Very Strong El Niño expected this winter.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free