Cold Air Moving In This Weekend

A dry weather system will clip us from the north this weekend bringing a much cooler air mass and gusty winds to the region. The cooler air will be more notable inland as the system will likely mix our marine layer out once again which can lead to warmer coastal temps. Though we'll see more sunshine on Sunday, highs will still be below average.

AIR QUALITY: GOOD to MODERATE for most areas, UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS for the Salinas Valley.

Friday: Temperatures will continue to drop, and skies around the immediate coast will be gray throughout the day, with highs in the 60s. Inland mostly sunny conditions after the low clouds retreat to the coast. Temps, mostly 70s and a few low 80s. Winds will pick up this afternoon.

Overnight: Low clouds remain at the coast pushing slightly into the valleys. Patchy fog, and a sprinkle or two are possible in spots. Lows in 40s, low to mid-50s at the coast.

Saturday: More clouds and wind, along with much cooler temperatures. Highs will be in the 60s for both coastal and inland locations.

*Gale Watch*
... from Pigeon Point to Point Piedras Blancas from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.  

Northwest winds 20-30kt, gusting to 40kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft.

Conditions may be hazardous to mariners

Extended:  Clear skies prevail Sunday into early next week, with temperatures warming slightly by Tuesday. However, an upper-level trough will cool highs back into the 60s by mid-week. The system will bring clouds, but rain potentials look slim to none. We'll continue to watch this, along with a stronger system that could bring us a better chance of rain the last week of October into the first week of November.

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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 50ºF
HIGH: 71ºF

--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 46ºF
HIGH: 79ºF

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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for October 28^th – November 3^rd calls for the likelihood of near-normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.

- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast: Weak La Niña into the Winter

-Area drought status: “Severe Drought” for most of the viewing area with “Extreme Drought” in southern San Benito and southeastern Monterey Counties. The southeastern third of San Benito County remains in “Exceptional Drought”