Another Warm Day, Changes on the Way
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – One more day of heat as a massive ridge of high pressure dominates Western weather. Records may fall once again, mostly notably in King City. Not all areas will be hot, however. Southerly flow is already beginning south of Point Conception and a “southerly surge” will work its way up the coast toward the Monterey Bay Area Tuesday morning. This cool, dense push of onshore wind will moderate temperatures on the coast during the afternoon. It will be a warm start, however! Overnight temps are expected to be as much as 3-7ºF warmer than on Monday, so we’ll get pretty warm before the air conditioning kicks in.
The ridge moves east by Wednesday and much deeper onshore flow will commence, bringing low clouds and potentially drizzle to the coast. Southerly onshore flow will continue for a few days as we enter a more active weather pattern.
Air Quality: Good
*Beach Hazards Statement*
…for all beaches and the immediate coast in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties extended until Wednesday morning.
*A moderate period northwesterly swell will result in an increased risk for sneaker waves and rip currents.
*Sneaker waves can unexpectedly run significantly farther up the beach than normal, including over rocks and jetties. These waves can suddenly knock people off their feet and quickly pull them into the cold ocean waters, where currents will be stronger than normal. These waves can also carry driftwood logs and other debris.
Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a few high clouds passing through. Some cumulus buildup possible over the mountains during the afternoon and low clouds/fog possible along the coast late. Temperatures will warm into the 70s early before moderating onshore breezes push coastal areas back into the 60s. Inland areas will soar back into the 80s.
Overnight: Increasing low clouds filling the bay and nearby valleys. Becoming partly to mostly cloudy. Patchy drizzle and fog possible by morning. Mild lows mainly in the 50s, with 40s to low 50s inland. Calm winds.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy on the coast and much cooler with patchy drizzle possible. Southerly flow continues which may clear out the south side of the bay at times. Coastal highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. Inland areas will cool as well with partly cloudy skies and 60s-70s expected for highs. Breezy southerly onshore winds, becoming windy up valleys in the afternoon.
Extended: A series of weather systems will pass by just to our north between late Wednesday and Friday. Each could bring a few showers to our area or at least some drizzle at times. Amounts will remain light, however. Saturday is likely to remain dry before a weather system arrives on Sunday. There is some potential for heavier rainfall with this system, but recent model runs have been on the lighter side.
*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: 45ºF
HIGH: 63ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 68ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for April 1st - 7th calls for the likelihood of BELOW normal temperatures and ABOVE 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 25th: 56.3ºF (avg. of 7 bouys)
[Historic March Avg. SST: 55.3ºF]
