Cool, Cloudy Spring Wednesday

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Cooler, cloudier weather expected through mid-week as deep onshore flow will keep clouds in the picture. The deepening marine layer will also allow for drizzle chances at the coast. As a trough approaches on Thursday, winds will pick up a bit and last into the weekend.  
  
Air Quality: Good to Moderate 
 
Wednesday: Widespread low clouds with patchy drizzle early, then mostly cloudy at the coast and mostly sunny inland for the afternoon. Cool on the coast with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s and the cool-down continues inland with highs dropping into the 60s to mid-70s. Breezy northwesterly onshore winds becoming windy up valleys late in the day.

Overnight: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low clouds will thicken and become widespread. Lows will be in the 40s to low 50s. West-northwesterly winds could be occasionally gusty in the valleys and in the hills. Patchy, light drizzle possible.
 
Thursday: Another marine layer day on the coast with low clouds lingering, though there may be some afternoon gaps. Northwesterly onshore winds strengthen a bit and could get gusty at times. Highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s for most areas.  
  
Extended: A late season weather system will arrive in California Friday/Saturday. This trough of low pressure will bring cool temperatures and rain chances to the area. It’s possible we may also have a chance for thunderstorms. At the moment, total accumulation looks fairly light, but models are trending wetter. Showers could linger into early Sunday, then dry conditions return. Next week, high pressure will bring the heat.  
  
*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: 46ºF  
HIGH: 64ºF   
--INLAND CITIES--  
LOW: 42ºF  
HIGH: 71ºF  
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for April 30^th – May 6^th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW 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: Abnormally dry for far 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 April 23^rd : 56.4ºF (avg. of 7 buoys) [Historic April Avg. SST: 55.1ºF]