Quiet Friday Before Slightly Unsettled Weekend
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Friday will be overall quiet, before the next slightly unsettled weather system arrives this weekend. Could even see a little more sunshine around the coast by afternoon. Winds will begin to pick up as a deep trough approaches the West Coast. Temperatures will drop sharply into Saturday—most notably inland. Winds could gust as high as 40mph, and there will be some chance for precipitation. Isolated showers will be possible, but a light drizzly rain may be the most likely form and that is most likely early on Saturday. Shower chances linger into Sunday, but mainly over the southern hills.
Air Quality: Good
Friday: Low clouds retreat to the coast but will linger on the south side of the bay this afternoon. Coastal areas will be slightly warmer with highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s—warmest on the north side of the bay—and inland areas will be slightly cooler, with highs ranging from the upper 60s to mid-80s. Gusty west-northwesterly onshore winds pick up in the afternoon. Cumulus clouds will develop over the inland mountains, but shower chances will be very low.
Overnight: Both high and low clouds will be on the increase. Becoming partly to mostly cloudy. West-northwesterly winds will remain breezy, gusty at times, especially around the immediate coast and mountain ranges. Drizzle/ few, scattered, light rain showers possible heading into sunrise.
Saturday: Widespread clouds early with patchy drizzle on the coast. Then, becoming partly cloudy with an isolated shower possible. Much cooler with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s. Gusty west-northwesterly winds at times.
***GALE WARNING***
... for Coastal Waters from Pigeon Point to Point Pinos California out to 10 NM in effect from 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday.
*Northwest winds 25 to 35 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and seas 11 to 16 ft expected.
... for Coastal Waters from Point Pinos to Point Piedras Blancas California out to 10 NM.
*Northwest winds 25 to 35 kt with gusts up to 45 kt and seas 11 to 16 ft expected.
...for the Monterey Bay
*Northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and seas 6 to 11 ft expected.
*Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
*Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for hazardous conditions.
*WIND ADVISORY*
…for the coast and lower elevation valleys of Monterey County, the “north coast” of Santa Cruz County and the lower elevation valleys of San Benito County in effect from 11AM Saturday until 5AM Sunday.
*Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.
*Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Extended: A few wrap-around showers may linger in the southern mountains on Sunday, but otherwise dry weather is expected into next week. High pressure will build in, sending temperatures upward—above normal by Monday for all areas. Most of next week looks warm and dry, though we may be dealing with coastal clouds at times.
*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 9th – 15th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: Neutral
- ENSO Forecast: Neutral conditions persist through summer & possibly into next winter.
-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 May 1st : 56.2ºF (avg. of 7 buoys) [Historic May Avg. SST: 55.8ºF]
