The Low Clouds Have Returned
Cooler weather is on the way as the marine layer deepens Thursday. This deepening is the result of a strengthening trough offshore. We’ll also see the return of marine layer clouds which will increase late in the day Thursday. Temperatures will remain cooler but seasonable through Friday before the ridge to our east begins to build back toward California. This process will be slow, but temperatures will likely slowly rise through the weekend into next week. There are some indications that this next round of hot, dry air may stick around for a bit. In the meantime, you can expect less muggy conditions on the coast as dryer air slowly filters in. Northwesterly winds will pick up on the coast this weekend as well which will probably cause some upwelling and thus cool coastal sea surface temperatures. They have been anywhere from 3-7ºF above normal in recent days!
AIR QUALITY: Good
Thursday: Partly cloudy on the coast and mostly sunny inland. Cooler, with coastal highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s and upper 70s to low 90s inland. Breezy southwesterly onshore winds at the coast becoming stronger up-valleys winds inland later in the day.
Overnight: Low clouds will fill back into the valleys, expect widespread gray skies by morning. Areas of patchy fog are possible, and a slight chance of drizzle. Lows will be a touch cooler, with mainly 50s to low 60s.
Friday: Partly cloudy on the coast with clouds favoring the south half of the bay. Continued seasonable conditions with coastal highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s and upper 70s to mid 90s inland. Up-valley winds will be gusty later in the day.
Extended: The air mass will slowly warm through the weekend into next week. Inland temperatures will respond accordingly. Coastal temps will also warm up through around Sunday, but level off or even cool a little with a marine layer keeping things in check. Gusty northwesterly winds develop Saturday and last through Monday for most coastal areas.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 69ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 31st - September 6th 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
