Cooling Trend Begins

A cooldown starts Saturday and will last into next week with more of a marine layer arriving at the coast and nearby communities.

The upper level ridge of high pressure that brought the most recent round of heat will weaken as a system approaches from the Pacific northwest. The weakening ridge will allow for increased onshore flow...which means the marine layer will deepen slightly overnight and move farther inland. Some patchy fog will be possible overnight and early Saturday, especially at the the coast. Heat Risk values for the most part return to Minor with a few pockets of Moderate across the interior. High temperatures on Saturday will cool 5-10 degrees, with temps in the 60s to 70s coastal, and 80s to mid 90s far interior. The one exception, and hottest locations, will be southern Monterey and San Benito where high temps will exceed 100 degrees again.

Fire Weather Risk is far from over... Near critical conditions will linger into Saturday away from the coast. Hot/dry conditions with typical breezy onshore winds will lead to elevated fire weather concerns. Given the recent heat, fine fuels are highly receptive and any spark has a high likelihood of starting a fire. Be One Less Spark and be mindful with outdoor activities heading into the weekend. It should be noted that National Preparedness Levels returned to level 5 (highest) Friday. Fire season is far from over.

AIR QUALITY: Good

Overnight: Mainly clear with some clouds at the coast and patchy fog possible. Lows still mild in the upper 50s to mid 60s.

Saturday: A cooling trend begins as cooler air moves in from the north. Still plenty of sunshine with high temps gradually coming down, anywhere from 5-10 degrees except for southern inland sections of the local area where triple heat is still possible and can be dangerous.

Extended: The cooling trend continues Sunday and for much of next week as the ridge weakens, an increased onshore flow as an upper level low pressure moves farther south from the Pacific Northwest, which will affect the Central Coast.

*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