Knocking on the Storm Door
AIR QUALITY:
GOOD to MODERATE for all reporting stations.
WEATHER STORY
Prior to sunrise on Tuesday, coastal areas saw light to moderate showers with accumulation a bit over a tenth of an inch. Inland areas saw a few hundredths of an inch at best. The next system arrives late Wednesday into Thursday. This one will have an increasing moisture plume but will also be displaced from the main system to the northeast. Timing will be critical with this system and could mean the difference between no rain at all or potentially moderate rain amounts. Perhaps the best chance of rain will come out of the weekend, which is a bit far out. In the meantime, expect cold mornings on Friday & Saturday between the weather systems.
Tuesday: Decreasing clouds come mid-afternoon. Temps seasonable to slightly cool, with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s.
Overnight: Clear after sunset, then fog develops at the peninsula and the immediate coastline on the east side of Monterey Bay. Low clouds could reach inland as far as Hollister and midway down the Salinas Valley. Expect lows in the mid 40s to around 50ºF on the coast with upper 30s to 40s inland.
Wednesday: Low clouds and fog possible on the coast and nearby valleys in the morning with some clearing by noon. Then, increasing clouds with a chance of sprinkles after dark. A bit cooler, with highs mainly in the upper 50s to low 60s. Winds picking up late.
Extended: We’ll see a chance of rain on Thursday morning with cooler, clearer weather late Thursday through Saturday. Frost is likely for inland valleys Friday & Saturday and possible up to the coast. The next system will begin approaching by Sunday into Monday with perhaps better rain chances.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 43ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 38ºF
HIGH: 62ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for December 14th – 20th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast into Winter: Weak La Niña
-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”
