A Return To Rainy Days
Light rain chances continue into Sunday morning with partial clearing in the afternoon. A weak cold front arrived in our area on Saturday but pretty much fell apart. Without any forward momentum, it will remain somewhat of a focus for additional light rain development as a couple of systems move by to the north and trigger a few more showers. A stronger system will then come in on Tuesday with wind & rain. More on that in the extended section below.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
… in effect now until Sunday 4PM for the entire immediate coastline of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including the Monterey Bay.
*Expect large westerly swell with breaking waves of 20 to 26 feet, including breakers near 30 feet at favored spots such as Mavericks.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches. Sudden immersion in cold water can result in cold water shock even for the most experienced swimmers. Cold water shock can result in dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, greatly increasing the risk of drowning in rough open waters.
Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions.
Overnight: Overcast with on and off light rain, especially near the coast. Lows in the 50s on the coast and 40s-50s inland.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy early with a chance of light rain, then becoming partly cloudy. Warmer, with highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s. Clouds increase late with another chance for light rain.
***HIGH SURF WARNING***
… for the entire immediate coastline of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including the Monterey Bay from 4pm Sunday until 12pm on Tuesday
*Dangerously large breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet, including breakers up to 40 feet at favored spots such as Mavericks.
*Life-threatening swimming and surfing conditions and significant beach erosion can be expected. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches. Sudden immersion in cold water can result in cold water shock even for the most experienced
swimmers. Cold water shock can result in dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, greatly increasing the risk of drowning in rough open waters.
Everyone should remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions. Stay off of jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure.
Monday: Mostly cloudy on the coast and partly cloudy inland with an isolated, light shower possible. Otherwise, slightly warm and muggy with highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s.
Extended: Stormy weather returns early Tuesday as a relatively strong cold front moved through the area. Moderate rain and gusty winds are likely. Some minor wind damage will be possible. There will also be a slight chance of thunderstorms. Cooler weather will follow with partial clearing late in the day. Dry weather then continues into Christmas Day and early Thursday. Rain chances return late Thursday into Friday.
*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
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 42ºF
HIGH: 59ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 37ºF
HIGH: 60ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for December 29th – January 4th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña into the fall and persist through the winter months.
- Area drought status: Abnormally dry for San Benito County, northeastern Monterey County and eastern Santa Clara County. Drought-free elsewhere
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of December 21st : 55.1ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
