Hot Afternoon Inland, Mild Coastal Day

WEATHER STORY
It’s fair to say we’re in the summer doldrums. The weather pattern won’t change much for the next week (it hasn’t changed much in the last week). The big monsoonal high will continue to dominate the Desert Southwest and pump monsoonal moisture north out of Mexico. We will be on the very edge of this moisture plume and it will be thin and high over us, meaning that the most we’ll see is some occasional high cloudcover. In the lower elevations, it will be a battle of the 1,500ft marine layer and the dry continental air mass. Coastal areas will continue to see the daily cycle of low clouds while inland areas will remain hot and dry. In between, it will be windy with morning fog!

AIR QUALITY: GOOD

Thursday: Becoming partly cloudy on the coast with low clouds sticking to the south/east sides of the bay. Highs in the 60s to mid 70s. Inland areas will be warm & dry with highs ranging from the upper 70s to mid 100s. Winds pick up for valley in the afternoon and early evening.

***GALE WARNING***
… for the near coastal waters from Pigeon Point to Point Piedras Blancas from noon Thursday until 9AM Friday. (excluding Monterey Bay).

*Northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt expected.

*Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.

Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions.

Friday: Morning low clouds and fog give way to partly cloudy skies on the coast in the afternoon. Highs in the 60s to mid 70s. Another toast day inland with highs ranging from the upper 70s to low 100s.

Overnight: Low clouds will gradually populate around coastal Monterey Bay and may make their way into nearby inland valleys. Fog and some light drizzle are possible. Expect quiet winds and lows in the 50s.

Extended: See the “weather story” above … other than that, the only thing worth mentioning is that inland temps will cool back down to normal starting Saturday.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 69ºF

--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 86ºF

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for July 28^th – August 3^rd   calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal* precipitation.

*Note: Little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year.
- El Niño/La Niña STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- Forecast: Weak La Niña into the Fall

-Area drought status: “Severe Drought” for most of the viewing area with “Extreme Drought” in southern San Benito and southeastern Monterey Counties. The southeastern third of San Benito County has been upgraded to “Exceptional Drought”