Cool Morning, Warm Afternoon Thursday
Warm, offshore flow continues on Thursday with well-above normal temperatures for most areas. High pressure will begin to break down, however. Friday will then be a transition day before the next weather system arrives on Saturday.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
**DENSE FOG ADVISORY**
…for the Santa Clara Valley in effect until 12PM Thursday
*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.
*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.
This Morning: Scattered high clouds, slowly thinning toward dawn. Low clouds/fog possible in eastern valleys and in the Santa Clara Valley. Lows in the low 40s to around 50ºF on the coast and low 30s to low 40s inland. Breezy offshore winds at times.
Thursday: Mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through and a few low clouds lingering in eastern valleys. Slightly warmer for most areas with coastal highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s and low 60s to mid 70s inland.
Friday: Increasing high clouds with some low clouds possible along the coast. Slightly cooler but still warm for this time of year with highs in the 60s to around 70ºF. Southerly winds slowly increasing.
Extended: Rain returns to the region on Saturday as a frontal system moves in. We’ll catch the tail end of it and it may stall and dissipate over our area. We’ll get some wind ahead of it but then mostly light rain which could linger on and off into Sunday. We’ll be clipped by two more systems (to the north) in the Sun/Mon timeframe before a stronger system arrives on Tuesday (Christmas Eve). That one is looking rather stormy with wind, rain, and perhaps some thunderstorms. Cooler air will also follow into Christmas Day.
*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 26th – January 1st 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 18th : 55.3ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
