Light Rain Overnight

AIR QUALITY:
GOOD to MODERATE for all reporting stations.

WEATHER STORY
The weather pattern will remain active with several rain chances in the forecast. The first will come overnight as a weak cold front interacts with a deep plume of tropical moisture moving in from the west. Generally light rain can be expected, but most areas should wake up wet. A cooler, drier air mass will move in for the next few days with chilly mornings Friday and Saturday. A stronger system will then arrive out of the weekend bringing moderate to heavy rain along with gusty winds.

Overnight: Overcast with widespread light rain ending from north to south around dawn. Most areas will pick up between 0.05-0.25” of rain. Expect lows in the 40s to around 50ºF for most areas. Breezy at times.

Thursday: Decreasing clouds. Cool & breezy with highs in the 50s.

Friday: Chilly in the morning with patchy fog. Frost likely for inland valleys with patchy frost approaching the coast. Then, mostly sunny and a touch warmer. Highs will remain in the 50s for most areas, however. Breezy over the hills at times.

Extended: Saturday morning with be even colder with lows in the 20s-30s inland and 30s to low 40s on the coast. Clouds will begin to increase in advance of a weather system that won’t really be here until later in the day on Sunday. This is a stronger system and will be packed with wind & rain. Rain is possible starting Sunday night and then likely on Monday and could be heavy at times in the coastal mountains. A secondary system will keep the rain machine going into Tuesday where lowering snow levels and the chance for thunderstorms will make things even more interesting. Keep an eye on our forecast for more details as the event approaches.

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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 16^th – 22^nd 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”