Spring Winds And Showers

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Gusty winds may continue for a few more hours at the weather system departs California. A few more sprinkles are also possible. Then, a short ridge of high pressure build in for Tuesday and early Wednesday, with slightly warmer temperatures. The next weather system arrives late Wednesday, but it is trending weaker and dryer.

Air Quality: Good

Overnight: Partly cloudy with gusty northwesterly winds at times, easing by dawn. A few more sprinkles possible. Fog possible in low, sheltered areas. Lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s on the coast and low 30s to around 40ºF for inland valleys.

**FROST ADVISORY**
… for interior Monterey County, and most of San Benito County from 2am Tuesday to 9am Tuesday.

*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.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny and slightly warmer with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s on the coast and low to mid 60s for inland valleys. Breezy north-northwesterly winds becoming windy up valleys in the afternoon.

Wednesday: A chilly start under mostly clear skies and patchy valley frost. Then becoming mostly sunny with clouds slowly increasing throughout the day. Slightly warmer than Tuesday but still seasonably cool with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s on the coast and low to upper 60s inland. Light winds becoming breezy up valleys in the afternoon. Light rain possible after dark around the bay and into the northern valleys.

Extended: A few sprinkles may linger into Thursday morning, but that’s about it. Then, high pressure slowly builds into the region into the weekend and beyond. Northwest winds will be gusty at times as this occurs. Highs return to normal Friday and then above through the weekend into early next week.

*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: 68ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 25^th – 31^st 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 18^th: 53.9ºF (avg of 8 buoys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]