Who Said Summer on the Central Coast Was Boring
We have one more hot inland day before the weather changes this weekend. Friday will really be a transition day and even while inland temperatures will be within a few degrees of Thursday’s highs, moisture streaming in from the south will increase the amount of high clouds in the sky. At the coast, we’ll cool down a few degrees as well with increased cloudcover. Monsoonal moisture streaming in from the south will deepen enough on Saturday that convection is looking more and more possible. Because this moist layer is above a deep, hot & dry layer, most of any rain that falls will evaporate. Unfortunately, updraft depth may be enough for charge separation—which could mean lightning—and in this instance, dry lightning. That’s about the last thing we want to see after an extremely hot & dry stretch. At the moment, I’m not expecting widespread activity, but some isolated instances may be possible, especially early in the day on Saturday. Stay tuned to the forecast and make sure to download the KION Weather Authority Weather App and turn on the lightning alerts.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
***EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING***
… for the higher elevations (above 1000ft) of Monterey County and the mountains and higher elevation valleys (above 500ft) of San Benito County until 8PM Friday
*Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 110.
…and for the Santa Clara Valley and the Diablo Range in Santa Clara County in effect NOW until 8PM Friday
*Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 106 to 110 with limited overnight cooling in higher elevations expected.
*Most individuals will be at risk for heat-related illnesses without effective cooling or adequate hydration, especially with prolonged outdoor exposure. Without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration, heat-related illnesses including heat stroke will be a risk to everyone. Overnight lows will warm as well leading to poor relief from the heat specifically in elevated terrain and interior areas.
*An exceptionally dangerous situation continues to unfold over the next couple of days we continue to move through this deadly heat event for inland areas. Another couple days of temperatures well above normal will lead to compounding effects among people and infrastructure, with the possibility of numerous heat related fatalities.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles
under any circumstances.
Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat
stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.
**HEAT ADVISORY**
…for the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the lower elevation valleys of Monterey (<1000ft) and San Benito (<500ft) counties in effect until 8PM Friday.
*Temperatures up to 106 expected.
*Those sensitive to heat, such as the homeless, elderly, children, and pets will be at risk for heat-related illnesses. Those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration will be at the greatest risk.
*Despite the downgrade from an Excessive Heat Warning to a Heat Advisory, the long duration of this heat wave will cause cumulative effects and this situation
remains dangerous.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles
under any circumstances.
Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat
stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.
Friday: Scattered high clouds drifting through from the south and patchy low clouds on the coast. Warm to hot with coastal highs in the upper 60s to upper 70s, 80s-90s in the near coastal valleys, and 100s up to 111ºF in the interior valleys. Windy up valleys late in the day but fairly light winds at the coast. Hazy with some smoke aloft. Air quality may be slightly reduced but should stay moderate for most areas.
Overnight: Low clouds will fill the bay and nearby valleys. High clouds will thicken so expect partly to mostly cloudy skies across the region. Lows will be mild with widespread 50s, far interior locations and ridges will be in the 60s and 70s. Patchy fog at the coast and for near coastal cities by morning.
Saturday: Scattered high clouds moving from south to north with isolated (mostly dry) showers or thundershowers possible. Patchy low clouds on the coast. Cooler, with coastal highs in the low 60s to low 70s and 70s to around 100ºF inland. Breezy onshore winds and windy up valleys late in the day.
Extended: Dryer air will filter in on Sunday, but there may be some high clouds early. Otherwise, we’ll enter a period of stable, unchanging weather through around Thursday with low clouds more present at the coast along with cooler temperatures and seasonable yet mostly sunny conditions inland (fog/low clouds likely in the mornings for most valleys) Some warming then expected into next weekend.
*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: 54ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 52ºF
HIGH: 84ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for July 19th – 25th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal* precipitation.
*Note: little to no precipitation typically falls this time of year
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña by late summer.
- Area drought status: Currently drought-free
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature* as of July 11th: 57.7ºF
(Historic June AVG: 58.4ºF) -- *average of three buoys
