Cool, Dry Finish to 2024
Cool, dry conditions will finish off the year. Passing storm systems to our north will bring some mid to upper level clouds over the next couple of days, but you can still expect a good amount of sunshine, locally. High pressure will influence our weather and while mornings will be cold, we’ll have warm afternoons and dry conditions. The warmest day of the week looks to be Thursday, as high pressure continues to build, with temperatures 5-10ºF above normal. But, the warm up will be brief as a weather system looks to arrive Friday evening. More in the extended forecast below.
AIR QUALITY: Good
Tuesday (New Year’s Eve): Mostly sunny into the afternoon, then increasing clouds late. Slightly warmer with coastal highs in the upper 50s to low 60s and low 60s to mid-60s inland. Breezy north-northwesterly winds on the exposed coast and in the valleys in the afternoon.
**FROST ADVISORY**
… for most of San Benito County including the Hollister area, valleys (Salinas and Carmel) and the Cholame Hills in Monterey County, the Santa Clara Valley and Eastern Hills.
*From 10PM Tuesday to 9AM Wednesday.
*Temperatures as low as 34 will result in frost formation.
*Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered. Cold conditions will be hazardous to sensitive populations such as unhoused individuals. Cold Conditions can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure.
*Parts of southern Monterey County could see temperatures drop below 32 degrees.
*Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. Be sure to turn off sprinklers ahead of sub-freezing temperatures to avoid creating ice patches on driveways and sidewalks. Be sure to cover or tend to sensitive plants and vegetation as they may be damaged by frost.
Overnight: Ringing in the New Year with another round of chilly lows. Coastal locations will be in the upper 30s to low 40s, inland areas cooler with mainly 30s, interior valleys upper 20s. Patchy frost possible in sheltered valleys. Partly cloudy early than clouds will thin out after midnight leaving mostly clear conditions come sunrise.
Wednesday (New Year’s Day): Another chilly morning, though it won’t be as cold as Tuesday. Scattered high clouds thinning to mostly sunny skies. Warmer, with coastal highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s and low 60s to upper 60s inland. Light winds.
Extended: Clouds increase late Thursday into Friday as a weather system approaches. It will likely bring wind and rain to the region on Friday and cooler temperatures as well. Longer term trends show high pressure returning into the next week with (mostly) dry and warm conditions continuing.
*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: 60ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 37ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for January 7th – 13th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW 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 31st : 55.7ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
