Transitioning into Wet Weather
The warming trend will come to an end along with the clear, sunny weather. High pressure will begin to break down Friday and thus a transition day for us with increasing clouds and gusty southerly winds, before the next weather system arrives on Saturday. Expect a series of rain events with a stronger system set for Christmas Eve day.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
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. Rain chances overnight into Saturday morning.
Overnight: Partly to mostly cloudy, with patchy fog early in low lying areas. Drizzle/ chance of light rain possible. Occasional gusts out of the south after midnight. Mild lows with temperatures from the mid 40s to low 50s.
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
… in effect from Saturday 6AM to Sunday 4PM for the entire coast of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including the Monterey Bay.
*A moderate to long period west to northwest swell will result in an increasing risk of sneaker waves and rip currents. Sneaker waves breaking between 10 and 13 feet. For the High Surf Advisory, expect large west swell with breaking waves 15 to 18 feet, including breakers near 20 feet are possible.
*Sneaker waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches. Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. 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.
Saturday: Light rain showers across the Central Coast with higher precipitation amounts for coastal and northern locations. Partly to mostly cloudy skies. Occasional gusts possible throughout the day. Highs will remain in the 60s.
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 27th – January 2nd 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 San Benito County, northeastern Monterey County and eastern Santa Clara County. Drought-free elsewhere
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of December 18th : 55.3ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
