Summer Doldrums
Temperatures will level off about 5ºF below normal for the rest of the week as our stagnant weather pattern persists. We’ll see our typical cycle of low clouds at the coast with overcast conditions in the overnights and partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. Some nightly fog & drizzle is possible. Into the weekend, surface winds will be more northwesterly which will give Santa Cruz more sun and Monterey less. Warming looking more likely next week as the ridge builds back in from the southeast.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Overnight: Low clouds for the coast and inland valleys with fog in the hills and drizzle possible on the east side of the bay. Lows in the low to mid 50s on the coast with 40s to low 50s for inland valleys.
Thursday: Overcast early, then becoming partly cloudy on the coast and sunny inland. Expect highs in the 60s on the coast with low 70s to low 90s inland. Breezy westerly onshore winds becoming stronger for the inland valleys in the afternoon and early evening.
Friday: Overcast early, then becoming partly cloudy on the coast and sunny inland. Expect highs in the 60s on the coast with low 70s to low 90s inland. Northwesterly onshore winds will be gusty at time on the coast and strong for inland valleys later in the day. The northwest flow will mean more sunshine in Santa Cruz and less in Monterey.
Extended: Our more northwesterly pattern with stronger winds will continue on Saturday and then begin to ease on Sunday. Temps will begin to warm next week as the ridge builds back in from the southeast. We’ll be more likely to see coastal fog during this period.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 54ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 85ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for July 13th - 19th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation. Note: Little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
- Forecast: El Niño developing this summer.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
