A Beautiful Friday, Hurricane Jova Has Other Plans this Weekend
Temperatures will rise as we head into the weekend, but we’re also tracking tropical moisture coming in from the south. As the big monsoonal ridge nudges back westward, moisture from Hurricane Jova will be pulled in, streaming into our area on Saturday. There is a deep enough moist layer that some rain will be possible, but lightning will also be possible. The likely evolution will be a narrow band of showers that could just train over itself. One small slice of our area could get multiple rounds while the rest of the coverage area gets nothing. It’s hard to predict exactly where this band will set up, but it's slightly more likely in areas south of Monterey Bay than north. Jova will also send some higher southerly swells our way late Friday through Saturday, so please be cautious on south to west-facing beaches.
Warm temperatures will hang around through the weekend with scattered high clouds, then we’ll cool down into next week as a trough develops on the coast. Increased coastal low clouds also likely.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Friday: Mostly sunny with only a few low clouds on the south side of the bay. Warmer, with coastal highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s—warmest on the north side of the bay—and mid 70s to around 95ºF inland. Breezy northwesterly onshore winds becoming windy for inland valleys late in the day. High clouds drift in from the south late.
*BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT*
… for the Monterey Bay coastline and along the Big Sur Coast, starting late tonight through Sunday evening.
*Increased risk for dangerous rip currents and larger breakers of 4 to 9 feet expected due to incoming southerly swell.
*Possible dangers to inexperienced swimmers, surfers, and anyone standing or walking in or close to the water.
*Larger southerly swell of 3 to 4 feet at 15 to 16 seconds will arrive Saturday morning. This swell originated from Hurricane Jova and could bring an increased risk of dangerous rip currents as well as elevated surf, particularly for south facing beaches, including Santa Cruz.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Never turn your back to the ocean! Sneaker waves can occur at any time without warning. It is safest to swim at a beach with lifeguards. If you are caught in a rip current, don't try to swim against it. Instead, swim out of the current, parallel to the shore, and then back to shore. If you can't swim, float or tread water, and yell or wave for help if you need assistance.
Overnight: Patchy low clouds near the coast and north side of the Salinas Valley. Patchy high clouds inland. Fog is likely to form by morning, which could be dense in spots. Lows will be warmer, but still mainly in the 50s. With only a few interior valleys dropping into the upper 40s.
Saturday: A few low clouds near the coast, otherwise scattered high clouds with isolated showers and even a thundershower possible. Highs in the upper 60s to 70s on the coast and mainly 80s-90s inland. Breezy northwesterly onshore winds becoming windy for inland valleys late in the day
Extended: High clouds and warm temperatures stick around on Sunday, then temperatures begin to cool into next week under partly cloudy skies.
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 54ºF
HIGH: 70ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 85ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for September 14th – 20th 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
