Slightly Cooler Day, Keeping an Eye on Hurricane Hilary
An area of low pressure remains offshore, however, with the cooler temperatures expected inland on Friday, and less monsoonal draw from the south, the chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms has weakened. With that said, there is still a slight chance for inland mountains, mainly along the Diablo Range. The chance of showers near the coast is now out of the picture. However, the deep marine layer and persistent onshore flow will keep the coast partly cloudy and highs near seasonable. Temperatures will swing back upward Saturday, especially inland. All eyes are on Hurricane Hilary, located just SW of Mexico. As of Friday, Hilary has intensified into a Cat 4 hurricane. The storm will weaken as it moves toward SoCal and the desert Southwest over the weekend. Moisture from remnants is expected to have a high impact in SoCal with 2-6 inches of rain there. The moisture will continue to spread north toward the Central Coast so expect unsettled weather Sunday through early next week. There are a lot of interesting scenarios, but all are dependent on where the cyclone actually tracks. There are some scenarios where we get heavy rain locally, some with lightning, and some with warm, humid conditions. We’ll be watching closely, so make sure to stay tuned to our forecast.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Friday: Slightly cooler temps with highs mainly in the 60s at the coast, 70s and 80s inland, with a few far interior valleys in the 90s. With moisture still in the area, isolated showers and thunderstorms (mainly in the mountains) remain possible inland, while light scattered showers could reach the coast.
Overnight: Low clouds will fill the rest of the Monterey Bay by early evening, before moving into nearby valleys overnight. With a deeper marine layer, expect only patchy areas of fog, and light drizzle. Better chance in the higher terrain. Lows will be cooler from the previous night, with mainly 50s,
Saturday: Mostly cloudy to begin, clearing to mostly sunny skies inland, partly cloudy at the coast. Temperatures will be warmer, more noticeable inland, with 80s to upper 90s for far interior locations. Coastal areas will be near seasonable with mainly 60s and to low 70s, warmer on the north side of the bay.
Extended: Dryer air arrives Saturday which should kill any storm chances and it will also allow us to warm up a bit. By Sunday, things get a little more murky as by then, the leading edge of an expanse of tropical moisture may arrive depending on the track of Hurricane Hilary. The uncertainty for the central coast means we could see nothing at all or widespread rainfall chances with possible flash flooding.
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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 25th – 31st calls for the likelihood of near-normal temperatures and near-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
