Warming Up and Drying Out

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Warmer, drier weather expected for the start of the work week. High pressure will build in from the southwest warming temperatures. Onshore flow will moderate warming on the coast, however. By mid-week, troughing over the Western U.S. fights back against the ridge which will likely cool us back down a little and perhaps open the door for another round of unsettled weather.  
 
Air Quality: Good to Moderate 
 
Monday: Partly cloudy on the coast with clouds favoring the south half of the bay and hills. Highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s. Mostly sunny inland with highs mainly in the 70s. Breezy northwesterly onshore winds becoming windy up-valleys late in the day.  

Overnight: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low clouds will thicken filling most of the bay and spilling into nearby valleys. Low clouds will not be as widespread, however fog more likely on valley floors around sunrise. Clearer conditions inland. Lows will be cooler, with mid to upper 40s for most, sheltered valleys will drop into the 30s.
 
Tuesday: Patchy fog in the morning, then mostly sunny and slightly warmer with mainly 60s to around 70ºF on the coast and 70s to low 80s inland.  
 
Extended: Onshore flow deepens a bit on Wednesday as a back-door low moves into the state. Some drizzle may be possible on the coast, then cooler temps can be expected through the end of the week. A deeper trough approaches the coast by the weekend, reinforcing the cool-down, stirring up the winds, and potentially bringing some rain.  
 
*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: 48ºF 
HIGH: 65ºF 
--INLAND CITIES-- 
LOW: 44ºF 
HIGH: 73ºF 
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for May 5^th  – 11^th 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: 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 27^th : 55.4ºF (avg. of 7 buoys) [Historic April Avg. SST: 55.1ºF]