Nice Weekend, Maybe Not Nice Week
Enjoy the wonderful weather this Presidents Day Weekend. It won’t last through the week! High pressure will remain in control with a warm, dry air mass in place. While mornings will be cool, highs are expected to remain above normal for this time of year. Then, things change. The ridge moves west and makes room for a deep, cold trough of low pressure to dive down the West Coast from the north. It will arrive with a bluster on Tuesday and the weather will remain unsettled through Friday with gusty winds, cold temperatures, and rounds of showers. Snow levels will also drop. Just how low is the interesting part of the forecast. At this point, snowfall should remain well above sea level, but populated areas in the Santa Cruz Mountains can’t be ruled out. Stay tuned to the forecast!
AIR QUALITY: Good
Sunday: Mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through. Slightly warmer with highs in the mid 60s to around 70ºF for most areas. Breezy onshore winds in the afternoon.
Overnight: Mostly clear. Cool, with lows in the mid 30s to low 40s on the coast and 20s-30s inland.
Monday: Mostly sunny and slightly cooler. Highs mainly in the 60s. Breezy for inland valleys in the afternoon.
Extended: Winds pick up and clouds increase on Tuesday as a weather system moves in from the north. It will also bring much colder air and rounds of showers starting Tuesday night and lasting into Friday. Expect highs in the upper 40s to mid 50s during the period with mountain snow possible.
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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 26th – March 4th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast: Transition to neutral with possible El Niño developing this summer
-Area drought status: Moderate Drought (D1) for the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, San Benito County, southeastern Monterey County and southern Santa Clara County Abnormally dry (D0) for the rest of Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties.
