It’s A Precipitation Party!
WEATHER STORY
Showers, with small hail, and mountain snow are all in the works.
A cold upper level low has arrived. While we were asleep last night, the cold air aloft helped destabilize the atmosphere causing showers to form. These will continue to come in short-lived waves for the duration of Tuesday with a few possible over our southern hills even on Wednesday. The air will be cold enough to support mountain snow, perhaps as low as 2,000ft in elevation. Due to the convective nature of the showers, small hail will also be possible.
As the low departs Wednesday, clouds will clear and winds will calm down allowing for a pool of cold air to settle in over the region. This will lead to cold mornings Wednesday and especially Thursday with widespread frost for inland valleys. Temperatures will then slowly warm into the weekend as high pressure builds back in from the west.
Air Quality: GOOD
Tuesday: Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Small hail and brief downpours possible with showers. Snow levels will drop down to 2,000ft by late afternoon and remain there into the overnight. Cool and windy at times with highs in the 40s to low 50s. 3-5” of snow possible in the coastal mountains above 4,000ft with 1-2” for most other areas above 3,000ft.
Overnight: A few isolated showers may sweep the Big Sur coastline and Santa Lucia range, but otherwise precipitation will have mostly tapered off. Temperatures will become very cold under clear skies. The coast can expect mid to low 30s, and inland will see 20s to low 30s. Frost is expected.
*FREEZE WARNING* (text in italics from the NWS)… in effect from late Tuesday night through Friday morning for the following areas:
- San Benito County
- Areas of Monterey County including but not limited to Carmel Valley, Salinas Valley, southern inland valleys.
Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 28 (or lower) possible.
Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
Wednesday: Mostly clear and cold in the morning with lows in the 20s-30s inland and 30s-40s on the coast. Roads may be icy as leftover precipitation will have frozen. Then becoming mostly sunny with a chance of showers over the southern hills in the early afternoon. Breezy at times.
Extended: Thursday will be the coldest morning with most inland valleys dipping into the 20s and patchy frost possible for coastal cities. Both lows and highs will slowly warm up through the weekend into next week. Highs return to above normal levels by Saturday.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 62ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 40ºF
HIGH: 65ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 1st - 7th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast into Winter: Weak La Niña
-Area drought status: “Severe Drought” for most of the viewing area southern Monterey County now reduced to “Moderate Drought”
