Mild Monday Afternoon
Cold and frosty is how we’ll start the work week! A dry, cold air mass will remain in place on Monday but a pair of storm systems will pay us a visit this week. The first, weak system will arrive late Tuesday into Wednesday with mainly light rain and the potential for some mountain snow. The second, stronger system will be a dynamic storm system complete with a strong atmospheric river. There is an increased chance for flooding on Thursday along with the threat of damaging winds and perhaps a few thunderstorms.
Air Quality: Good
Monday: Clear early, then mostly sunny with a few high clouds. Cool, with highs in the 50s to around 60ºF. Breezy northwesterly onshore and up valleys winds in the afternoon.
Overnight: Partly cloudy near the coast, mostly clear inland. Lows slightly warmer, with coastal temps in the 30s and 40s, inland 30s - sheltered valleys in the 20s. Areas of frost likely. Light northwesterly wind.
***FREEZE WARNING***
…for the interior mountains and southern valleys of Monterey & San Benito Counties in effect from 1AM Tuesday until 9AM Tuesday.
*Temperatures as low as 28 expected.
*Cold conditions will be hazardous to sensitive populations such as unhoused individuals. Cold Conditions can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Be sure to open sink cabinet doors and/or drip faucets. This may help reduce or prevent damage to uninsulated pipes and other plumbing.
**FROST ADVISORY**
…for the coastal mountains and lower elevation valleys of Monterey County, the lower valleys of San Benito County, and the Santa Clara Valley and Diablos in Santa Clara County in effect from 1AM Tuesday until 9AM Tuesday
*Temperatures as low as 32 will result in frost formation.
*Cold conditions will be hazardous to sensitive populations such as unhoused individuals. Cold Conditions can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure.
Be sure to open sink cabinet doors and/or drip faucets. This may help reduce or prevent damage to uninsulated pipes and other plumbing.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Tuesday: Increasing clouds throughout the day and a chance of light rain mainly after dark. Highs in the 50s. Northwesterly onshore winds becoming gusty in the afternoon. Snow levels drop overnight, perhaps as low as 3,000ft.
Extended: Light rain associated with the first, weak weather system will taper off on Wednesday morning. However, the second, stronger system won’t be too far behind. There will be somewhat of a break during the day on Wednesday, then rain will start to develop again in the coastal mountains as the atmospheric river reaches the coast. Rainfall will become heavy into Thursday as the AR deepens and the storm’s frontal system arrives. Damaging winds, flooding, and thunderstorms may all be possible Thursday before the system begins to move out. Showers linger on Friday before a warmer, dry weekend.
*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: 44ºF
HIGH: 61ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 39ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for February 17th - February 23rd calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: La Niña persists into spring, then transitions to neutral by summer.
- Area drought status: Moderate drought for eastern San Benito County and far southeastern Monterey County. Abnormally dry for the remainder of the viewing area.
Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of February 10th 54.4ºF (avg of 8 buoys)
