The Sun Is Back! But For How Long?
Your forecast for Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and southern Santa Clara Counties…
The wind will be the main weather story as we head into the weekend. Sandwiched between a strong subtropical high to our south and a developing and persistent trough to the north, the pressure difference will be taken out on California! Winds will be out of the north-northwest, which is just shy of being considered offshore. As a result, they will be somewhat dry, so this will elevate fire danger. Deep mixing of the marine layer will keep temperatures seasonable during the period.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
***GALE WARNING***
… for the near coastal waters from Pigeon Point all the way south to Point Piedras Blancas excluding Monterey Bay extended until 3AM Monday
*Northwest winds 20 to 35 kt with gusts up to 45 kt and seas 8 to 13ft expected.
*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.
Saturday: Sunny. Expect highs in the low 60s to mid 70s on the coast—warmest on the north side of the bay—and low70s to low 90s inland. Gusty north-northwesterly onshore and up-valley winds at times. Winds could gust up to 35mph.
Overnight: Patchy fog developing on the bay and nearby low areas and potentially in valley bottoms. Expect lows in the upper 40s to low 50s on the coast and mid 40s to low 50s inland. Breezy northwesterly winds at times.
Sunday: A few morning clouds, then mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through. Expect coastal highs in the low 60s to low 70s—warmest on the north side of the bay—and low 70s to around 90ºF inland. Gusty north-northwesterly onshore and up-valley winds at times. Winds could gust up to 45mph.
Extended: We’ll have a low clouds early Monday, but drizzle chances are looking less likely. Winds will still be gusty, but not as strong as Sunday. Temperatures are trending a bit cooler through mid-week as troughing seems to be persistent on the West Coast. Some warming is expected by the end of the week, but perhaps not as much as previously forecast.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 49ºF
HIGH: 81ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for June 23rd – 29th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal* precipitation.
*Note: little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña by late summer.
- Area drought status: Currently drought-free
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature* as of June 15th: 56.0ºF
(Historic June AVG: 56.7ºF) -- *average of three buoys
