Cold and Stormy
Get those winter coats back out and put the flip flops away! Winter has returned to the Central Coast for a couple days with rain, storms, wind, and mountain snow. A deep, cold area of low pressure will dig down the coast Thursday and Friday. This low is unseasonably cold—perhaps in the top 10 coldest on record for this time of year. What this translates to is two days of chilly temperatures (well below normal), gusty winds, and rounds of showers with embedded thunderstorms filled with small hail. Snow levels will drop —as low as 2,500 ft. While accumulating snow is not expected for coastal cities, the area mountains are certain to have a new coating of “white paint,” and some local passes/ roadways may see slippery conditions. We’ll transition from unsettled weather to another round of warmer, dryer conditions next week.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with rounds of showers with embedded thunderstorms. Plentiful small hail possible with thunderstorms. Snow levels down to 2,500 ft. with snow showers anywhere from a dusting to several inches, higher for the peaks. Cold, struggling to get to the mid-50s, cooler yet in the mountains with 40s. Gusty southerly winds.
Overnight: Scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms, with gusty southerly winds. Stronger gusts likely in higher elevations and exposed locations. Individual storms could produce brief heavy downpours, small hail, and stronger wind gusts. Snow showers will continue in the mountains, with accumulated snow totals by morning. Lows will be chilly. Low to mid-40s at the coast, 30s and low 40s inland.
Friday: Partly to mostly cloudy with showers and chance for thunderstorms with small hail, and gusty winds. Snow showers in higher elevations. Highs mainly in the low to mid 50s with colder temps in higher terrain.
Extended: A slight chance of shower activity through the weekend, with a weak disturbance possible on Sunday. Latest models, however, are trending dryer. Partly cloudy skies and temps will still cool for this time of year. Expect calmer, nicer weather starting early next week, warming quickly into mid-week. Temperatures will eventually exceed daily normals by Tuesday and will stay that way for at least a few days.
*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: 46ºF
HIGH: 64ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 69ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for April 11th – 17th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near-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
