A Slight Cool Down Will End July
Temperatures will head downward starting Monday as the monsoonal ridge to our southeast weakens a little and allows for a trough to dig down the coast. During the transition, the ridge will throw some high-level moisture at us, but it will likely only manifest in some high cloudcover. As the trough digs down the coast, the marine layer will deepen, so expect more low clouds this week than in recent days. We may also see some drizzle at times. By the end of the week, however, the ridge begins to push back toward us which will likely lead to a warm-up. Some models are showing a significant warm-up by the weekend.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Monday: Partly cloudy in the afternoon with a mix of high and low clouds on the coast—low clouds will be more focused on the south side of the bay, however. Expect highs in the 60s to mid 70s on the coast—warmest on the sheltered, north side of the bay—and highs ranging from upper 70s to around 100ºF inland. Westerly onshore winds will be gusty on the coast at times and stronger than recent days. Inland valleys can also expect gusty winds from the late afternoon into the evening.
Overnight: Expect low clouds to be more widespread, with areas of patchy fog and drizzle. Better chance of moisture on the south/east sides of the bay. Lows will be a touch warmer, with mainly 50s from the coast inland. Hills will continue to be warmer in the low 60s.
Tuesday: Remaining mostly cloudy on the coast with a mix of high and low clouds and highs remaining in the 60s for most areas—maybe getting to 70ºF in Santa Cruz. Inland areas will have scattered high clouds and will be cooler with highs in the 70s to low 90s.
Extended: The cooler, cloudier weather will continue Wednesday and perhaps into Thursday with rounds of morning drizzle. Temps will head back up and clouds will thin as we head into the weekend. In fact, highs should be above normal for both the coast and inland areas next weekend.
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This week’s normal temperatures:
–COASTAL CITIES–
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
–INLAND CITIES–
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 86ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 7th – 13th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation. Note: Little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year.
– ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory
– Forecast: Moderate to strong El Niño expected this winter.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
