Drying Out For Now

Dryer northwesterly winds kick in as we head into Thursday. Low level moisture will stick around overnight, though, keeping clouds and fog around. A few more showers may persist over the Santa Lucias as well. Skies will begin to clear into Thursday afternoon, though we’ll probably see the buildup of cumulus over the hills—enough so that a few showers and maybe even a thunderstorms will be possible over the Diablos or the Cholame Hills. After a seasonably cool day Thursday, temperatures will warm back up to normal for Friday—or perhaps a bit above! Unsettled weather will return this weekend. See the extended section below for more details.
 
AIR QUALITY: Good

Overnight: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers over the Santa Lucias and fog in the valleys. Lows in the 40s to low 50s. Breezy northwesterly winds on the exposed coast and in the valleys.

Thursday: Becoming partly cloudy with a chance for showers or even a thunderstorm over the far inland mountains (Diablos/Cholame Hills). Highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. Gusty northwesterly winds at times, especially on the exposed coast. Becoming mostly clear late.

Friday: Some fog may linger in sheltered areas Friday morning, then expect mostly sunny skies for the rest of the day. Warmer, with highs in the 60s to around 70ºF. Breezy around the river mouths in the afternoon.

Extended: We’ll return to an unsettled weather pattern on Saturday. The first of three systems passing by will clip us on Saturday. At the very least expect an increase in clouds and cooler temperatures. There is also a slight chance of rain—or perhaps some coastal drizzle. The next system arrives late Sunday into early Monday with light rain chances and another on Tuesday. None look all that concerning at the moment. High pressure will likely build in after mid-week next week with a streak of warmer, dryer weather expected.

*Note: Any alerts from the National Weather Service in Monterey will be noted in italics above. Alerts may be edited for brevity or local clarification (in parenthesis).

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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 45ºF
HIGH: 62ºF

--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 40ºF
HIGH: 65ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 14^th - 20^th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.

- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory, La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition from El Niño to neutral by Spring and then to La Niña by summer.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free