Rain Returns This Week
Air Quality (as of 6:15PM):
Good for all reporting stations.
Weather Story: A broad trough of low pressure lurks out over the Pacific. It will begin its slow transit of the West Coast on Monday, bringing unsettled weather through Wednesday or Thursday. This is a cold weather system that will be packed with chilly temperatures, mountain snow, and the potential for thunderstorms with small hail. We’ll get a bit of a break toward the end of the week with dryer weather and a slight warm-up. There is some potential for another weather system next weekend, however.
Overnight: Patchy low clouds near the coast, otherwise clear. Cool, with lows in the upper 30s to 40s on the coast and 30s inland.
Monday: Partly cloudy for most of the day. Winds switch to the south in the afternoon and will push some low cloudcover into the coastal mountains by dark. Some drizzle will be possible in those clouds. A weak frontal boundary will usher in the chance of an isolated shower before midnight. Highs in the 50s.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with rounds of showers and embedded thunderstorms. Thunderstorms could have lightning and small hail. The snow level will drop to around 3,000ft as well. Chilly, with highs in the 50s in the valleys, 40s in the hills.
Extended: Expect another chilly, showery day on Wednesday with an even lower snow level—roughly 2,000ft. Showers may linger into Thursday morning before we clear out for the end of the week. Temps will recover slightly by Friday/Saturday, but another weather system may arrive bringing more rain chances.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 45ºF
HIGH: 62ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 40ºF
HIGH: 66ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 15th – 21st calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
-El Niño/La Niña STATUS: Weak La Niña
-Forecast into Summer: Neutral
-Area drought status: Abnormally dry for most of the viewing area, moderate drought for most of Santa Clara County outside of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the northeastern sections of San Benito County.
