A Breezy Day Becomes A Frigid Night
Winds shift back offshore Thursday, ushering in a dry air mass. Those winds could get gusty over the hills at times. Compressional heating off the coastal ranges will also allow for warmer high temperatures Thursday *behind* the cold front. Further warming is expected on Friday before winds shift back onshore this weekend. A weak system will pass by to our north this weekend (the reason for the wind shift), but we’ll only see an increase in clouds. Another system Monday into Tuesday looks like it may dig a little deeper on the West Coast which could potentially lead to some rain.
Air Quality: GOOD
Thursday: Sunny with gusty offshore winds at times. Highs in the low 60s to low 70s on the coast and mid 60s to low 70s inland.
Overnight: Winds die down after dark, allowing frigid air to settle and temperatures to drop significantly. Widespread frost will develop inland with lows in the 20s and 30s. The coast will see temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s.
***FROST ADVISORY***
…from midnight tonight until 9AM Friday for the Santa Clara Valley, the southern Salinas Valley, the mountains of San Benito County, Pinnacles National Park, and parts of Monterey County including Carmel Valley.
Temperatures in the 20's and low 30's resulting in the formation of frost.
Freezing temperatures can cause damage to sensitive crops. Pets and sensitive plants should be brought inside.
Friday: Mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through. Slightly warmer with highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Breezy at times inland.
Extended: Onshore flow returns this weekend, cooling coastal areas back to seasonal normals and introducing some low clouds back into the forecast. A passing weather system will also bring a few high clouds. We’ll warm back up a bit Monday ahead of another system that could bring some light rain on Tuesday .
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 45ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 67ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 17th – 23rd calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast into Winter: Weak La Niña
-Area drought status: “Severe Drought” for most of the viewing area southern Monterey County now reduced to “Moderate Drought”
