Not Much Change Wednesday, Cooler Weather on the Way
Mid-week brings little change. Though most won’t notice, there will be a slight decrease in temperatures on Wednesday afternoon. Inland areas will remain dry and hot, coastal areas will be comfy. The ridge, working with a subtropical low off of Southern California will continue to advect a stream of moisture across Central California. This will most likely manifest in some mid to high level cloud cover, but a slight chance of a high based shower and/or dry thunderstorm possible early Wednesday, though the threat has weakened quite a bit in the latest model runs. As we roll into the latter part of the work week, the ridge of high pressure will move to the east allowing for a trough of low pressure, to our northwest, to move in. Daytime highs will start to cool, giving inland areas some relief from the heat by this weekend.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
**HEAT ADVISORY**
…for the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Clara Valley, and also the Southern Salinas Valley, Arroyo Seco, and San Antonio Valley, Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National
Forest and Mountains of San Benito and Interior Monterey County including Pinnacles National Park
*Until 11 pm Wednesday.
*Daytime temperatures reaching the 90s to near 101. Overnight temperatures will be mild and in the upper 50s to near 70.
*Moderate HeatRisk across inland areas. This level of heat affects individuals sensitive to heat, especially those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration.
*Although high temperatures will decrease on Wednesday, lingering heat inland will contribute to a continuing risk of heat related illnesses for sensitive populations, including, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people who work or live outdoors without adequate shelter.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles
under any circumstances.
Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.
Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.
Wednesday: Scattered mid to high level clouds moving through from the south. There is a slight chance of an isolated dry shower/thunderstorm, mainly early in the day. Expect coastal highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s with low 80s to around 106ºF inland.
Overnight: Mostly clear to start with high clouds passing through. Low clouds will increase at the coast and in nearby valleys by dawn, along with the chance of patchy fog. Partly to mostly cloudy for most, inland will remain mostly clear. Lows mainly in the 50s. Higher valleys and terrain in the 60s.
Thursday: Partly to mostly cloudy with morning fog possible near the coast. Becoming mostly sunny and temps trending downward - mid 60s to low 70s at the coast with some lingering low clouds, and slightly cooler inland but still warm with 70's to 90s.
Extended: Dryer air enters the region aloft on Thursday, though there may be a few lingering high clouds. Otherwise, expect a warm day with temperatures beginning to cool into the weekend. Weekend highs should be much closer to normal and with northwesterly surface flow, we’ll return to a sunny in Santa Cruz/cloudy on the peninsula type of weather pattern.
*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).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 85ºF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for July 31st – August 6th 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 July 24th: 57.3ºF
(Historic June AVG: 58.4ºF) -- *average of three buoys
