Cooler Fall Weather Ahead
Expect cooler weather for the remainder of the week. As for rain chances, well, that’s where it gets complicated.
A cooler air mass will begin to move into the region Wednesday as a trough digs down the coast. Temperatures will drop about 10ºF for most inland and mountain areas with a slight cooldown also expected on the coast. Clouds will increase late Wednesday ahead of a surface cold front which will pass by overnight. Some drizzle/sprinkles will be possible along and ahead of the front, but cooler, dryer air will follow it into Thursday.
Another cold trough will rotate into California Friday into Saturday. There is some potential for rainfall on Friday if the “planets align”, but I think it would be showery at most. Most models are trending dryer today. Cold air will then settle into the state for the weekend and while afternoon highs will slowly warm back to normal by Sunday, mornings will be quite chilly in the dry air mass. In fact, we’ll have to watch for frost in some of the higher inland valleys.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
Overnight: Low clouds slowly fill back in around the bay and major valleys with patchy fog possible. Clouds may stay scattered on the outer coast, however. Expect lows in the low to mid 50s on the coast with mainly 40s to low 50s inland.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy for most of the day with a mix of high clouds and low, coastal clouds. Cooler, with highs in the 60s for the coast and northern inland valleys, 70s for southern valleys. Gusty northwesterly winds at times, especially around the river mouths and into the valleys. Clouds increase late.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy overnight with a few sprinkles possible, then partial clearing by dawn. Further clearing into the afternoon but cool and breezy with highs in the 60s to low 70s.
Extended: We’re still watching for some light rain on Friday, but it is looking less likely. Either way, expect Friday and Saturday to be quite cool for this time of year. Afternoons will warm up into next week, but mornings will be cold.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 49ºF
HIGH: 70ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 76ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for November 1st – 7th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: Strong to Very Strong El Niño expected this winter.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
