One Storm Ends, Another Begins
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – The next storm system arrives Monday morning with light to moderate rain and gusty winds. This fast-moving system won’t produce a lot of precipitation, but will make for a wet Monday morning commute. Showers will then last throughout the day with some breaks. A weak, trailing disturbance will increase the chances of showers from late afternoon into early evening. The chance for thunderstorms during this period is also trending higher. Showers end by early Saturday morning with most of the weekend expected to be dry.
Air Quality: Good
**FROST ADVISORY**
...for the higher terrain and southern valleys of Monterey and San Benito Counties in effect from 11PM Thursday until 9AM Friday.
*Temperatures as low as 32 will result in frost formation.
*Cold conditions will be hazardous to sensitive populations such as unhoused individuals. Cold conditions can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Overnight: Increasing clouds and southerly winds with light rain spreading in from the west. Rain could become moderate at times before sunrise, then will break into showers moving from west to east. Lows in the 40s for most areas with a few 30s in southern valleys.
**WIND ADVISORY**
…for the Santa Cruz Mountains in effect from 4AM Friday until 9am Friday.
*Southeast 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.
Friday: Rain early, then becoming partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Gusty southerly winds switch to the northwest. Highs in the 50s. Shower chances increase from late afternoon into the early evening with a chance for thunderstorms.
Saturday: A few early morning showers, then becoming mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s. Breezy up valleys in the afternoon.
Extended: Dry conditions extend into Sunday with temperatures warming a few more degrees. The next storm system won’t be too far behind, though and by late evening, rain may begin once again. The system passes through on Monday with rain & wind and showers lasting into early Tuesday. Another system is then possible on Thursday.
*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.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 45ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 66ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 21st – 27th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: Neutral conditions expected by April and then to persist into summer.
- Area drought status: Moderate drought for far southeastern Monterey County. Abnormally dry for southeastern Monterey County and eastern San Benito County. Drought-free for the remainder of the KION coverage area.
Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of March 14th: 53.2ºF (avg of 7 buoys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]
