Rain Returns This Valentine’s Day
Wet weather returns just in time for Valentine’s Day as a frontal system arrives on the West Coast. It is currently trending wetter and earlier and as of now, rain is expected to arrive sometime mid-afternoon with more widespread, moderate rain around the bay just after sunset. Winds are also trending a little stronger with a few stronger gusts possible in the early evening on the exposed coast and up in the hills. A few showers linger into early Thursday before a dry stretch arrives which will last through Friday. Then, a pair of stronger, wetter systems arrive this weekend… more in the extended forecast below.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Wednesday (Valentine’s Day): Mostly cloudy with light to moderate rain arriving to the bay just before sunset (later inland and in the south). Gusty southerly winds at times. Slightly cool, with highs in the mid 50s to low 60s.
Overnight: Mostly cloudy early with rain tapering off toward midnight. Chance of isolated showers into dawn. Southerly winds will ease, with an occasional gust. Lows will be mild in the 40s to low 50s at the coast. Mainly 40s inland with a few 30s in sheltered valleys.
Thursday: Partly cloudy with some areas seeing gradual clearing to mostly sunny skies. A slight chance of a shower over the northern mountains during the afternoon. Warmer, with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s.
Extended: Expect dry and mild conditions on Friday before our next storm system arrives on Saturday. Moderate to heavy rain and gusty southerly winds are likely later in the day on Saturday with showers lingering into early Sunday. We’ll likely get a break for a while on Sunday before the next system arrives late bringing more wind and rain late—which could last on and off through Monday. Showers may last all the way through mid-week. Timing and intensity of the weekend storms may fluctuate, so stay tuned to the forecast.
*Note: Any alerts from the National Weather Service in Monterey will be noted in italics above. Alerts may be edited for brevity or local clarification (in parenthesis)
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 44ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 39ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for February 21st – 27th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: El Niño Advisory, La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition from El Niño to neutral by Spring and then to La Niña by summer.
-Area drought status: Currently drought-free
