Cool to Begin the Weekend, Warm to End It

After midweek, a rare August cold front will sweep in for late week and we'll see a return of low stratus clouds in the coastal areas and nearby valleys. System in the Pacific Northwest will slide southward along with the cold front and also bring a chance of rain mostly for areas north of the viewing area, but we will see cooler temps, clouds and gusty winds today and Saturday.

AIR QUALITY: Good

Friday: Today will be the coolest day with temps 10-15 below average. Coastal areas may only see upper 50s and many inland areas will struggle to get to 80 degrees!

Extended: Temps will continue to trend downward through Saturday with marine layer at coast and spreading inland into the nearby valleys. Winds will be gusty through Saturday with very light precipitation possible. So expect gusty winds, low stratus clouds, fog/drizzle. However, the cooldown will be short lived. We'll warm up again by Sunday and next week!

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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 55ºF
HIGH: 69ºF

--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 53ºF
HIGH: 85ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for August 27 – September 2 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: 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 August 19^th: 59.6ºF
(Historic August AVG: 59.6ºF) -- *average of six buoys