Calm Friday Before the Storm Saturday
Are you ready for rain this weekend? It may be our last good chance for the season! High pressure to our west that has been keeping the wind machine going will retreat westward Friday, allowing for a weather system in the Gulf of Alaska to dive down the coast. It will arrive on Saturday with a cold front packed with light to moderate rain. The front will likely arrive mid to late morning and depart mid to late afternoon with a showers lingering after. Since the center of the low will remain well to the north, instability will be limited and thus thunderstorms are not expected. If you are traveling through the Sierra Nevada, prepare for winter driving conditions Saturday into Sunday morning.
AIR QUALITY: Good
***GALE WARNING***
... for the near coastal waters from Point Pinos south to Point Piedras Blancas extended until 3AM Saturday
*Northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and seas 8 to 10 ft
*Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions.
Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions.
Friday: Patches of low clouds on the coast, otherwise mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through. Coastal highs in the 60s to mid 70s—warmest on the north side of the bay—and 70s with a few low 80s inland. Gusty northwesterly onshore and up-valley winds for most of the day.
Overnight: Low clouds will increase, filling the bay and most valleys overnight. High clouds will eventually join the mix ahead of the cold front. Patchy fog for sheltered locations possible. Winds will switch becoming southerly, breezy, gusty at times. Temperatures will be mild, in the low 50s for most coastal areas, 40s to low 50s inland.
Saturday: Rain arrives mid to late morning around the bay and then pushes inland, with partial clearing on the coast by mid-afternoon. A few showers may linger behind it, but the front will be the main rain event. Gusty northwesterly winds at times. Much cooler with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s for most areas.
Extended: A few sprinkles may linger into Sunday morning, but then dry conditions are expected through next week. Our weather pattern will return to that which we have been experiencing recently, so prepare for more northwesterly spring winds! Temperatures return to normal by Tuesday and will be slightly above for the rest of the week. Because of the wind direction, Santa Cruz will be considerably warmer than Monterey.
*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: 48ºF
HIGH: 64ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 73ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for May 10th – 16th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory, La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition from El Niño to neutral by Spring and then to La Niña by summer.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
