Watching Monsoon, Mild Otherwise
WEATHER STORY
The great monsoonal high continues to dominate the weather of the American Southwest. Acting as a pump, moisture streams in from the tropics, generating showers and thunderstorms. Here on the California coast, we are usually too far to the west to feel many of these impacts. However, occasionally surges of moisture reach our area as well. We’ll see a couple chances of this in the forecast over the next week. The first comes tomorrow as a weak low pressure area draws moisture west of the Sierra Nevada. Most of the moisture will stay to our north/east, but there is a slight chance of a thunderstorm over the Diablo Range. More moisture will then arrive in the Saturday-Monday time frame. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, we’ll really be in our normal summer pattern with cool conditions, low clouds at the coast and partial clearing in the afternoon. Inland, after morning clouds, skies will be mostly sunny and temperatures warm.
AIR QUALITY: GOOD
Tuesday: Low clouds hang around the coast again with partial clearing in the afternoon. We’ll see a very slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm, mainly over the Diablo Range. Highs in the 60s-70s on the coast, 70s-90s inland. Winds pick up for inland valleys in the afternoon and evening.
Overnight: Another round of low clouds rolls in after dark, most likely bringing patchy and potentially dense fog as well as some drizzle to coastal Monterey Bay by morning. Expect most lows in the 50s, with a couple outliers in the 40s and upper 60s far east.
Wednesday: Morning low clouds, then partial clearing on the coast during the afternoon. Highs in the 60s to around 70ºF. Sunny inland with mainly 80s-90s with winds picking up in the valleys in the afternoon.
Extended: Coastal low clouds and inland sun after AM valley fog. Coastal highs in the 60s-70s through the weekend with inland areas in the 70s-90s… slightly warmer late in the week inland. High clouds return by the end of the week—watching for a chance of thunderstorms Saturday through Monday.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 69ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 2nd – 8th calls for the likelihood of near 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”
