Edge Of The Wind Event
A major wind storm will develop across portions of the state over the next few days. We’ll only catch the edge of it here around the Monterey Bay Area. An area of low pressure diving down through the Four Corners will help generate strong offshore winds out of the Great Basin Tuesday into early Thursday. This winds will be strongest over the Sierra Crest and even more so for the Southern California Mountains where the “Santa Ana Winds” will be widespread and damaging along with elevating fire danger to the extreme. Locally, offshore winds will pick up overnight and persist through the day Tuesday before winding down early Wednesday morning. Some minor wind damage will be possible over the higher terrain and in some downslope areas like Santa Cruz and the Big Sur Coast.
AIR QUALITY: Good
**WIND ADVISORY**
… for the “north coast” of Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Diablo Range in Santa Clara County in effect until 10am Wednesday.
*North to Northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.
*Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
*Beach Hazards Statement*
…for the immediate coast of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties now through 9PM Tuesday.
*A long period NW swell will result in an increased risk of sneaker waves and rip currents. Breaking waves will be up to 20 feet in favored locations.
*Sneaker waves can unexpectedly run significantly farther up the beach than normal, including over rocks and jetties. These waves can suddenly knock people off their feet and quickly pull them into the cold ocean waters, where currents will be stronger than normal. These waves can also carry driftwood logs and other debris.
Avoid climbing on rocks and jetties. Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions. If going to the beach, observe the waves for several minutes and increase the stand- off distance from the water's edge. Most importantly, be vigilant, and never turn your back on the ocean.
Overnight: Patchy low clouds and fog for the coast and valleys early. Then, decreasing clouds and fog as dry air filters in from the north/northeast. Gusty northeasterly winds developing over the higher terrain, occasionally mixing down into the lower elevations. Lows in the low 40s to around 50ºF on the coast and low 30s to low 40s for inland valleys.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with just a few high clouds passing through. Gusty northeasterly winds developing over the higher terrain, occasionally mixing down into the lower elevations. Highs in the 60s to around 70ºF.
Wednesday: Winds ease overnight, leaving a dry air mass in place. Lows will be cool—mostly 30s to low 40s. Then, mostly sunny and warm with highs in the 60s.
Extended: High pressure will continue to play “storm-blocker to our west, leaving us warm & dry for the foreseeable future. We’ll likely get another brief round of offshore winds on Thursday with additional chances this coming weekend and into early next week. Highs will remain above normal and lows seasonable to slightly cool. Rain will likely hold off until at least January 17th, perhaps longer.
*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
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 42ºF
HIGH: 60ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 37ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for January 14th – 20th calls for the likelihood of near normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña into the fall and persist through the winter months.
- Area drought status: Abnormally dry for San Benito County, northeastern Monterey County and eastern Santa Clara County. Drought-free elsewhere- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of January 7th : 54.5ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [January Average: 54.7ºF]
