Break From The Rain Tuesday
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Nicer, calmer weather returns but it will be brief. A short ridge of high pressure builds in for Tuesday and early Wednesday, with slightly warmer temperatures. The next weather system arrives late Wednesday, but it is trending weaker and dryer with only light rain expected.
Air Quality: Good
Tuesday: Mostly sunny and slightly warmer with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s on the coast and low to mid 60s for inland valleys. Breezy north-northwesterly winds becoming windy up valleys in the afternoon.
Overnight: Mostly clear with a few thin high clouds passing through. Calm northwesterly winds. Lows slightly cooler, in the upper 30s to mid 40s near the coast, mostly 30s inland. Frost likely for far interior locations. Patchy fog possible in low-lying areas by dawn.
**FROST ADVISORY**
…for interior Monterey County, and most of San Benito County from 2am Wednesday to 9am Wednesday.
*Temperatures as low as 33 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 cover or tend to sensitive plants and vegetation as they may be damaged by frost. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny with clouds slowly increasing throughout the day. Slightly warmer than Tuesday but still seasonably cool with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s on the coast and low to upper 60s inland. Light winds becoming breezy up valleys in the afternoon. Light rain possible after dark around the bay and into the northern valleys.
Extended: A few sprinkles may linger into Thursday morning, but that’s about it. Then, high pressure slowly builds into the region into the weekend and beyond. Northwest winds will be gusty at times as this occurs. Highs return to normal Friday and then above through the weekend into early next week.
*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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 45ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for March 25th – 31st calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Advisory
- ENSO Forecast: Neutral conditions expected by April and then to persist into summer.
- Area drought status: Moderate drought for far southeastern Monterey County. Abnormally dry for southeastern Monterey County and eastern San Benito County. Drought-free for the remainder of the KION coverage area.
Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of March 18th: 53.9ºF (avg of 8 buoys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]
