Dry Thunderstorm Chances

Air Quality (as of 8AM)
GOOD for all reporting stations

WEATHER STORY
The monsoonal high to our southeast will slowly strengthen in the coming days, which will slowly warm our inland areas. We won’t see too much change on the coast—the low clouds will continue their daily cycle—though we may warm up a couple of degrees by the weekend. Moisture will then stream in around the high on Sunday with high clouds becoming apparent. There is a slight chance we could see some (mostly dry) showers and perhaps an isolated (mostly dry) thunderstorm late Sunday into Monday.


Friday: Low clouds scatter to partly cloudy in the afternoon with more sunshine on the north side of the bay than on the south. Expect highs in the upper 50s to low 70s on the coast—warmest on the Santa Cruz side of the bay—and ranging from the low 70s to upper 90s inland, depending on proximity to the coast. Winds will pick up in the afternoon and early evening for most major river valleys.

Overnight: Widespread low clouds overnight with more drizzle possible. Expect lows in the 50s for most areas with a few 40s in the clearer southern valleys.

Saturday: Overcast in the morning once again with patchy fog & drizzle. Low clouds scatter to partly cloudy in the afternoon with more sunshine on the north side of the bay than on the south. Expect highs in the upper 50s to low 70s on the coast—warmest on the Santa Cruz side of the bay—and ranging from the low 70s to around 100ºF inland, depending on proximity to the coast. Winds will pick up in the afternoon and early evening for most major river valleys.
 
Extended: We’ll remain a bit cool on the coast through the weekend with the marine layer in place. You can expect the daily cycle of low clouds. Inland areas will see less morning cloudcover and warmer afternoon highs into early next week. High clouds will begin streaming in on Sunday and will continue into next week. There is a slight chance of a (likely dry) thunderstorm late Sunday into Monday.

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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 54ºF
HIGH: 69ºF
 
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 85ºF

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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for July 23^rd – 29^th calls for the likelihood of near normal temperatures and near normal precipitation*. 
*Note: little to no precipitation usually falls this time of year.
-El Niño/La Niña STATUS: Neutral
-Forecast into Summer: Neutral

-Area drought status: “Extreme Drought” for the entire viewing area with the far southeastern corner of Monterey County considered “Exceptional Drought”