Wind Then Cold, And Maybe A Little Rain
A weather system moves in from the north overnight with gusty winds. An associated cold front will bring a few showers Tuesday afternoon with snow levels down to around 2,500ft. Cold air will then settle in with very cold mornings expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Another weather system will then slide down the coast by the end of the week. While the majority of the system will remain offshore, some rain may be possible around our area on Friday.
AIR QUALITY: Good
***GALE WARNING***
… for the near coastal waters from Pigeon Point to Point Piedras Blancas including Monterey Bay until 3AM Wednesday.
Northwest winds 20 to 40 kt with gusts up to 45 kt expected.
High seas of 14-19ft
*Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions.
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
… for the north/west-facing immediate coastline of Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties in effect until 3AM Tuesday
* Breaking waves of 20-25 feet from Half Moon Bay southward through the Big Sur coastline.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches. These waves can also move large objects such as logs, crushing anyone caught underneath.
*Northwest facing beaches are most at risk for large shore break, farther than normal wave runup, and strong currents.
Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Never turn your back to the ocean. Keep safe distance between you and the shoreline. Stay off coastal
rocks and jetties.
*BEACH HAZARDS*
… for the north side of Monterey Bay through late tonight.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches.
Large shore pound, further than normal wave runup, and strong currents likely.
Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions. Never turn your back to the ocean. Keep safe distance between you and the shoreline. Stay off coastal rocks and jetties.
**WIND ADVISORY**
… for the coast and coastal mountains of Monterey County in effect from 4PM Monday until 7PM Tuesday.
*Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. Strongest gusts will be along the coastline and over coastal mountains.
*Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Driving may be difficult during gusty conditions.
Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.
Overnight: Partly cloudy with gusty winds in the hills and on the exposed coast. Lows in the 30s to low 40s.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a chance of showers in the afternoon. Snow levels drop to 2,500ft Highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Gusty northerly winds at times.
**FREEZE WATCH**
… for the entire KION Coverage area in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties in effect from 2am Wednesday to 9am Wednesday.
* Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 possible, except colder in the mid to upper 20s interior valleys.
* Frost and freeze conditions will impact unsheltered and marginally sheltered populations, 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: COLD in the morning with frost in coastal cities and a hard freeze for many inland cities. Sunny and seasonably cool in the afternoon with highs in the 50s.
Extended: Cold again on Thursday morning but a few degrees warmer, then mostly sunny and slightly cool in the afternoon. Clouds increase Friday with a storm just offshore—some rain may reach our coast. Temperatures slowly warm up through the weekend into early next week.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 62ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 40ºF
HIGH: 64ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for February 21st – 27th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast: Weak La Niña continues through winter, becomes neutral by Spring
-Area drought status: Moderate Drought (D1) for San Benito County, southeastern Monterey County, and northern Santa Cruz County. Abnormally Dry (D0) for the remainder of those counties. Moderate Drought (D1) for the KION coverage area in Santa Clara County.
