Light Rain, Big Waves
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – A few showers linger into Friday as a large-scale storm system spins to our north. Chances will be highest earlier in the day and the farther north and closer to the coast you are! A weak ridge builds on Saturday bringing dry conditions and a slight warm-up, but we’ll dive right back into an unsettled pattern into Sunday. In the meantime, be cautious at the coast on Friday as big waves continue to roll in.
Air Quality: Good to Moderate
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
… for the “North Coast” of Santa Cruz County and the entire immediate coast of Monterey County extended until 11PM Friday
*Long period very high northwest swell will result in large breaking waves between 25 to 35 feet on north and west-facing beaches.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. 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.
*Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
*Beach Hazards Statement*
… for the north side of Monterey Bay in effect through Friday evening.
*Long period high northwesterly swell will result in breaking waves between 15 to 20 feet along favored break points.
*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.
*Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
Overnight: Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated showers, especially across Santa Cruz County. Lows in the upper 40s to low 50s on the coast and low to upper 40s inland.
Friday: Mostly cloudy early with isolated showers, then becoming partly cloudy with a very slight chance for a shower. Breezy northwesterly winds at times, becoming windy up valleys in the afternoon. Slightly cooler for most areas with coastal highs in the mid-50s to low 60s and low to mid-60s for inland valleys.
Saturday: Patchy valley fog early, then partly cloudy with increasing clouds late. Breezy northwesterly winds. Slightly warmer with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s for most areas—perhaps a few upper 60s in the south.
Extended: A shield of high clouds move in late Saturday into Sunday as the next system approaches. Some light rain begins overnight and then as the system arrives Sunday, it loses some steam. At this point, I’m expecting light to briefly moderate rain early with showers lingering. A trailing disturbance may bring a few more showers on Monday. Then, it becomes more complicated later in the week. At the moment, I’m keeping a chance of rain in the forecast Tuesday through Thursday, but the forecast is likely to change—so stay tuned!
*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 April 4th – 10th calls for the likelihood of BELOW 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 28th: 55.0ºF (avg. of 7 bouys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]
