Rare Summer Thunder Chances
Tropical and monsoonal moisture streams into the area into Thursday and Friday bringing a chance of rare summer showers and thunderstorms. First, let me tell you what this is not: it is not a repeat of August 2020. While I do expect some lightning in and around our area, strikes will be fairly isolated. The moisture column is deep enough to produce precipitation as well. And while heavy rain is not expected, most lighting should be fairly co-located with the precipitation. With that said, it IS summer and even after a wet winter, summers are dry and our vegetation is dry which means that any lightning may spark a fire. So, it will be extra important to be weather-aware these next few days by following our forecasts, downloading the KION Weather Authority App, and paying attention to your surroundings. The most likely timing will be late Thursday into early Friday, though a few more showers/t-storms may be possible over the hills later in the day Friday. Dryer air will then move in this weekend and high pressure will nudge back in sending temperatures from below normal to above for most of next week.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Overnight: Widespread low clouds for the coast and inland valleys with patchy drizzle around the bay and fog mainly inland and up in the hills. Lows in the 50s for most areas with a few clear inland valleys dipping into the 40s.
Thursday: Low clouds retreat to the coast by late morning and hold steady there for the rest of the day. Mid to high level clouds begin to push in from the south early in the day with a chance of showers/thunderstorms in the south by mid-afternoon. The shower & thunderstorm threat will move north as the day progresses and likely won’t reach the Monterey Bay Area until after dark. Expect shower/thunderstorm activity to be isolated to scattered, rainfall amounts generally light, and isolated to occasional lightning. Highs in the 60s to around 70ºF on the coast and 70s-80s inland. Breezy westerly onshore winds becoming stronger in the valleys later in the day.
Friday: Mostly cloudy overnight with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible, becoming partly cloudy with isolated storms over the inland hills in the afternoon. Highs in the 60s to around 70ºF on the coast and 70s-80s inland. Breezy westerly onshore winds becoming stronger in the valleys later in the day.
Extended: Expect partly cloudy skies and slightly warmer temperatures on Saturday, though an isolated high-based shower or thunderstorm will remain possible over the inland mountains. Clouds will generally decrease out of the weekend into next week with above normal highs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 69ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 17th – 23rd calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation. Note: Little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
- Forecast: Moderate to strong El Niño expected this winter.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
