Good-Bye Rain… For Now. Sunny, Dry, Cool Conditions Settle In
Gusty northwest winds will taper off by mid-afternoon. Sunshine returns. We'll end the work week with mostly sunny skies. The system that brought the Central Coast rain on Wednesday leaves behind a cold, dry airmass which will continue to give us chilly mornings and seasonably cool afternoons. Mild conditions are expected through Friday before the next system arrives later Saturday bringing more rain chances. Warm up on the way for next week.
King Tides continue through Friday. We’ll have some bigger swells into Thursday morning which could increase the chance of minor coastal flooding, but waves will taper off into Friday. King tides will create larger waves and stronger currents thus dangerous swimming conditions.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Thursday: Mostly sunny but cool. Gusty northwesterly winds at times, easing through the afternoon. Highs in the low to mid 50s.
Overnight: Mostly clear with a few low clouds over the coastal mountains and possibly the immediate coast outside the bay (Big Sur and north coast of Santa Cruz County). Thin high clouds will be on the increase heading into dawn. Chilly temps, mid to upper 20s and low 30s inland, upper 30s to low 40s at the coast. Frost likely inland. Few areas of patchy fog possible.
From the National Weather Service in Monterey (in italics) …
**FROST ADVISORY**
… in effect from 3am to 10am Friday for all interior locations of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties.
*Some locations include the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Clara Valley, Eastern Santa Clara Hills, the Salinas Valley, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, Santa Lucia Mountains, Los Padres National Forest, Mountains of San Benito, Pinnacles National Park, Hollister Valley and Carmel Valley.
*Temperatures as low as 32 will result in frost formation.
*Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered.
*Far interior southern portions of Monterey and San Benito Counties could see low temperatures dip into the upper 20s.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Friday: Remaining dry with a few more high clouds in the area. Overall, expect mostly sunny conditions. Highs will be a touch warmer, but seasonably cool in the mid to upper 50s.
Extended: A shortwave trough will dip south into our area this weekend bringing light, widespread rain Saturday afternoon with lingering showers into Sunday morning. Higher precip. totals will likely be farther north and in the coastal mountains. Winds will become gusty at times as the system passes. Slightly warmer and dryer weather is then expected next week.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 43ºF
HIGH: 60ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 37ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for January 18th – 24th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: Strong to Very Strong El Niño expected this winter.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
