Fair Skies & Unsettled Seas
WEATHER STORY
A weak ridge of high pressure built in on Sunday, but we’ll already be on the back side of it by Monday. The bigger driver for our weather will be gusty northwest flow at the surface for the early part of the week which will keep coastal areas a bit cool & windy along with keeping a few low clouds in the forecast. A passing trough our or north will also help cool off inland areas through mid-week with some overall warming expected into the weekend. The weather will remain dry, but there are some wet signals in the models for the first week of May.
AIR QUALITY: GOOD
Overnight: Mostly clear with a few low clouds on the south side of the bay initially. Some increase in low cloudcover toward dawn. Also, a few high clouds passing through. Expect lows in the 40s for most areas with a few upper 30s in our southern valleys.
Monday: Partly cloudy on the coast with a mix or high and low clouds and seasonable with highs ranging from the upper 50s to low 70s—warmest on the north side of Monterey Bay. Mostly sunny inland and warm with highs in the 70s to mid 80s. Gusty northwesterly onshore winds at times both on the coast and into inland valleys.
*GALE WATCH*
… from the National Weather Service in Monterey… in effect from Monday afternoon through late Monday night from Point Pinos to Point Piedras Blancas
*Northwest winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and seas 7 to 11 feet at 15 seconds possible.
*Strong winds can cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
Mariners should consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and seas.
Tuesday: Passing high clouds with some low cloudcover on the coast. Gusty northwesterly onshore winds continue, but the air will cool with coastal highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s and upper 60s to mid 70s inland.
Extended: Cool on Wednesday and Thursday under mostly sunny skies. High is in the 50s-60s for most areas with some 70s farther inland. Gusty northwesterly onshore winds will continue. Some overall warming expected next weekend.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 48ºF
HIGH: 65ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 43ºF
HIGH: 72ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for May 2nd - 8th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast: Weak La Niña into the Fall
-Area drought status: “Severe Drought” for most of the viewing area with the far eastern fringes of Santa Benito and southeastern corner of Monterey County in “Extreme Drought.”
