Drying Out With A Brief Break From The Rain
Dry weather returns for the next couple of days as high pressure briefly builds in leading to seasonable to slightly warm temperatures. However, a pair of storm systems arrive this weekend. The first, a frontal system, will move through on Saturday with moderate rain and gusty winds. The second, stronger system is most likely to arrive on Sunday evening with heavy rain and potentially strong winds. Forecast confidence is lowest with the second system, but there is potential there for a strong storm with flooding being the biggest hazard. It looks like the system’s parent low will park itself offshore through mid-week, throwing additional rounds of showers our way.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Thursday: Partly cloudy with a lingering low clouds over the hills, but gradually clearing from the valleys by the afternoon. We’re likely to stay dry, however. Seasonable, with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s.
Overnight: Mostly clear to start with increasing high clouds, becoming partly cloudy. Lows will be cooler with 40s near the coast, upper 30s to mid 40s inland. Winds will remain light.
Friday: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy (high clouds), and warmer with widespread 60s for highs—some areas even reaching the upper 60s.
Saturday: Increasing clouds with rain and wind beginning in the afternoon and lasting into the evening before tapering off. Cooler, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s.
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
…for the immediate coast of Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties in effect from 10AM Saturday until 4PM Sunday.
*Large breaking waves of 18 to 22 feet along exposed, west-facing beaches. Locally higher waves up to 28 feet possible along some favored areas with steep beaches.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches. These waves can also move large objects such as logs, crushing anyone caught underneath.
*These waves are caused by a combination of locally strong southerly winds and an incoming westerly swell from more intense storms located well offshore.
Beachgoers should never turn their back to the ocean during high surf. Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions.
Extended: We’re likely to see a break in the action into Sunday afternoon, then rain and wind arrive again in the evening with heavy rain and strong winds possible. Rounds of rain will continue through Monday into Tuesday with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Showers may linger all the way into Wednesday.
*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 22nd – 28th calls for the likelihood of near 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
