One More Chance Of Rain

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – One more chance of rain in the forecast before a period of warmer, dryer weather. We’ll catch the tail end of a frontal system late Wednesday evening with the likely result being patchy drizzle to light rain around the bay after 9PM. A few sprinkles may linger in to Thursday morning, then high pressure will slowly build in from the west. Northwesterly winds will pick up as the ridge builds in, so expect windy conditions but slowly warming temperatures into the weekend.

Air Quality: Good

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

*Temperatures as low as 33 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.

*Be sure to cover or tend to sensitive plants and vegetation as they may be damaged by frost. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

Overnight: Mostly clear with a few thin high clouds passing through. Chilly with coastal lows in the mid-30s to mid-40s and low 30s to upper 30s inland where patchy frost is possible. Can’t rule out a bit of fog in low, damp areas.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny with clouds slowly increasing throughout the day. Highs remain slightly cool with upper 50s to low 60s on the coast and low to mid-60s inland. Breezy up-valley winds in the afternoon. Clouds thicken late with patchy drizzle/light rain possible around the bay and perhaps into northern valleys.

Thursday: Patchy fog in the morning, then becoming mostly sunny and slightly warmer with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s. Northwesterly winds pick up in the afternoon and could be gusty at times.

Extended: We’ll remain south of the “storm track” into the weekend, so while areas to our north will be getting rain, we’ll just get some high clouds and gusty northwesterly winds. High pressure slowly builds in through the weekend with temperatures steadily rising back to around normal Friday and then above and beyond. By Monday, highs may be as much as 10-15ºF above normal! Next chance of rain will be around or after mid-week 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 26^th – April 1^st calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE 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 19^th: 53.9ºF (avg of 8 buoys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]