Thunderstorm Chances and Heat Watches
Big changes are coming by the end of the week! Starting mid-week, the big monsoonal high will begin to migrate back to the west. As it does so, it will likely begin to pull some moisture up from the south associated with what is now Hurricane Elida off Baja. While that storm will not have a direct impact on the Central Coast, some of its moisture will likely make it here. The most likely scenario is some high cloudcover and an uptick in humidity. The less likely threat would be rain chances, but that scenario is still evolving. One other thing of note: as the ridge builds to the west, temperatures will head up--and potentially up and up! Those with outdoor plans should stay tuned to the forecast for the end of this week into the next!
Wednesday: After thick morning low clouds, expect mostly sunny skies and only a few low clouds on the coast. Warmer, with coastal highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s and 80s to around 103ºF inland. Breezy for inland valleys in the afternoon and early evening.
Overnight: Low clouds thicken up around the coast, slightly less widespread as previous nights. Patchy fog possible. Expect coastal lows in the 50s to low 60s with low to mid-50s for inland valleys and upper 50s to low 60s up in the hills.
Thursday: Patchy low clouds on the coast and increasing high clouds from the south. A slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm over southern Monterey/San Benito Counties. Not much rain will reach the ground, however. Warmer, with coastal highs in the upper 60s to 70s and mainly 80s to low 100s inland.
*EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH*
-The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch from Friday afternoon through late Sunday.
Temperatures: Daytime temperatures for inland areas are
forecast to range from the mid 90s to 108 Friday through Sunday.
The peak of the heat will likely occur Saturday and Sunday. The
San Francisco Bay shoreline and Santa Cruz County coast could
warm to the mid 80s and lower 90s on Saturday and Sunday.
Locations: East Bay Interior Valleys, East Bay Hills and the
Diablo Range, Southern Salinas Valley/Arroyo Seco and Lake San
Antonio, Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest
and Mountains Of San Benito County and Interior Monterey
County Including Pinnacles National Park.
Impacts: Heat related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and
heat stroke can occur due to prolonged exposure to hot
temperatures. People most vulnerable include those who are
spending a significant amount of time outdoors, those without
air conditioning, young children, the elderly, and those with
chronic ailments.
Extended: High clouds will continue to stream in from the south from Friday into early next week. We’ll be watching Friday for additional (dry) shower/storm chances and then another moist plume is possible Monday/Tuesday of next week. Increased temperatures can also be expected with highs running 5-10ºF above normal. It may also feel muggy during the period.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 54ºF
HIGH: 70ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 19th – 25th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation. Note: Little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year.
-El Niño/La Niña STATUS: Neutral
-Forecast into Winter: La Niña Watch
-Area drought status: Moderate drought for much of Santa Cruz & Santa Clara Counties, Abnormally dry on the east shore of the bay into San Benito County. No drought classification for much of Monterey County outside of the Gabilan Range.
