Warm, Dry, Sunny… For Now
Pleasant weather with warm temps and dry conditions, will remain the story for the rest of the work week as the upper level ridge builds. Temperatures will be above average with many locations across the Central Coast spilling into the 70s. Slight offshore wind will help cater these warmer temps, and cloudless coast. Friday will be a transition day with increasing clouds and gusty winds. Rain looks to return this weekend, more in the extended forecast below.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
**DENSE FOG ADVISORY**
… for the Santa Clara Valley, in effect until 9AM Wednesday.
*Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.
*Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous.
*If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.
This Morning: Cool, and mostly clear conditions. Patchy fog possible by daybreak especially in the valleys. Lows will drop back into the 40s for coastal locations, inland 30s to low 40s, while valleys will drop in the low 30s.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and much warmer with light offshore winds highs in the mid-60s to low 70s for most areas.
*BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT*
… for the Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon.
*A moderate to long period west to northwest swell will result in an increasing risk of sneaker waves and rip currents. Sneaker waves are likely to break between 10 to 13 feet.
*Sneaker waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches. Sudden immersion in cold water can result in cold water shock even for the most experienced swimmers. Cold water shock can result in dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, greatly increasing the risk of drowning in rough open waters.
*Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
Extended: Temperatures remain well above normal Thursday and Friday. Friday will be a transition day with clouds and southerly winds on the increase. A series of weather systems will then pass by Saturday into next week. At the moment, nothing is standing out as severe.
*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
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 42ºF
HIGH: 59ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 37ºF
HIGH: 60ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for December 25th – 31st calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and ABOVE normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña into the fall and persist through the winter months.
- Area drought status: Abnormally dry for areas around Monterey Bay northward. Drought-free elsewhere
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of December 16th : 55.1ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
