Sunshine and Warmth Thursday
Temperatures will warm on Thursday as high pressure amplifies over the region. Warming will be aided by offshore flow early in the day, with many areas reaching the 70s. The ridge moves east on Friday allowing for a storm system to move in. It will bring light to moderate rain and at least some wind. Higher surf late in the week.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
Thursday: A few scattered high clouds throughout the day, otherwise sunny. Offshore flow early will allow for deep warming all the way to the coast, especially on the south/east sides of the bay. Expect highs in the mid-60s to low 70s for most areas.
Overnight: Increasing clouds - a mix of high and low clouds - becoming mostly cloudy. Lows will be warmer due to the cloud cover, expect widespread 40s, with 50s near the coast. Cooler for interior valleys, mid to upper 30s. Some light showers/ drizzle possible before dawn ahead of the main system.
**HIGH SURF ADVISORY**
… for the entire coast with the exception of Northern Monterey Bay. In effect from 9pm Friday to 3am Sunday.
*Large breaking waves of 18 to 25 feet expected.
*Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. 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.
Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
*BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT*
… for Southern Monterey Bay, Big Sur Coast, and Northern coast of Santa Cruz County, in effect Friday morning through Friday evening.
… for Northen Monterey Bay in effect from Friday morning through late Saturday night.
*Moderate to high risk of sneaker waves expected
Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion. 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.
Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with occasional light rain on the coast in the morning, then a cold front will bring light to moderate rain across the bay along with gusty south/west winds, tapering off into the evening and farther inland. Cooler, with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s.
Extended: While it’s possible a few showers may linger into early Saturday, they’ll be isolated at best. Most of us will stay dry for the weekend with seasonable to slightly cool temperatures. High pressure builds in out of the weekend, sending high temps back upward—which is where they could stay for more than a week given the long term forecast!
*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 9th – 15th 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 January 2nd : 54.9ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [January Average: 54.7ºF]
