A Wink of Weekend Warmth
Air Quality (as of 8 AM)
MODERATE for Santa Cruz and the area around Ben Lomond as well as from Soledad all the way down to Bradley. GOOD for Monterey, Salinas, Hollister, and the immediate coastline all the way down to Big Sur.
WEATHER STORY
High pressure will strengthen over the West as we head into the weekend. Temperatures will continue to rise inland until Sunday. Tropical moisture will complicate things, however, as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Kevin swirl off Baja. Some of its moisture will stream in from the south Friday. While most models keep activity offshore, there is a tiny chance of a high-based shower skirting by late Friday. The overall air mass will have a bit more moisture in it over the next few days, so it may feel muggy. The ridge moves a bit east early next week which will allow a weak trough to arrive on the West Coast. This will enhance onshore flow and yield an overall cool-down into early next week.
Friday: Becoming partly cloudy with low clouds on the coast in the afternoon. Then, some high level moisture will stream in from the south. You’ll see this in the form of high clouds. There is a slight chance of a shower along the coast late. Expect coastal highs between 66ºF – 76ºF and a range from 78ºF-105ºF inland. Winds pick up for inland valleys in the afternoon and early evening.
Overnight: Low clouds remain spotty until around 5 AM when they will thicken for the immediate coastline all the way in toward Salinas. Patchy fog possible. Muggy conditions remain, with lows in the 50s on the coast and 50s-60s inland.
Saturday: Morning low clouds, then becoming partly cloudy on the coast and mostly sunny inland. Warmer, with coastal highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s and 80s to around 108ºF inland. Winds pick up for inland valleys in the afternoon and early evening.
Extended: The ridge will be at its max on Sunday, then begin to weaken. Most areas will experience their warmest highs before cooling off early in the week. Gusty winds expected to stick around for inland areas in the afternoon with breezy conditions on the coast.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 70ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 20th – 26th 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 Winter: La Niña Watch
-Area drought status: “Extreme Drought” for the entire viewing area with the far southeastern corner of Monterey County and far eastern San Benito County considered “Exceptional Drought”
