A Little Warmer and Sunnier

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - A stable marine layer will keep clouds on the coast early Friday, but by afternoon low clouds should break a bit giving us some more sunshine around the bay. While inland, the daily cycle of low clouds in the morning and afternoon sunshine will continue. Highs will also warm slightly, a trend we'll feel through the weekend as the big, toasty ridge of high pressure out over the Pacific arrives in the Pacific Northwest. With that said, a cutoff low will linger near the California coast. This will hinder a greater warm-up until it moves away from the area Monday.

Air Quality: Good to Moderate 

Friday: Another morning of overcast skies, then clouds retreating to, but hanging around coastal cities into the afternoon. Slightly warmer with coastal highs in the 60s and inland highs in the 70s to low 90s. Breezy southwesterly winds on the exposed coast early, then breezy at the river mouths and windy up valleys late.

Overnight: Low clouds will thicken this evening, starting to push inland before sunset. Increasing clouds will lead to partly to mostly cloudy conditions, with far interior locations remaining mostly clear. Winds shift slightly becoming west-northwest, gusty at times up valley. Areas of patchy fog. Lows in the upper 40s to mid 50s.  

Saturday: Low clouds will slowly retreat to the coast through late morning. Leaving inland areas mostly sunny. Low clouds will linger near the coast, and thicken once again by mid-afternoon. Temperatures slightly warmer, 60s with a few low 70s near the coast. Upper 70s to a few low 90s inland with the warmest locations being the southern valleys. Breezy west-northwesterly winds, gusty up valley later in the day.

Sunday: Slightly warmer yet, with 60s and 70s at the coast with areas of sunshine between lingering low clouds. Mostly sunny inland with highs in the upper 70s, 80s, to low 90s. Northwesterly winds gusty at times in the valleys by mid-afternoon.

Extended: Cloudcover will decrease along the coast slightly Saturday through Monday and temperatures will increase—both on the coast and inland. By Monday, highs may be as much as 10-15ºF above normal, especially away from the immediate coast. The dominating ridge to our north will be the biggest influence on our temperatures, despite a nearby cut-off low. Some cooling then expected through mid-week.    
   
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This week's normal temperatures:      
--COASTAL CITIES--     
LOW: 51ºF         
HIGH: 67ºF          
--INLAND CITIES--          
LOW: 48ºF          
HIGH: 78ºF         
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The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for June 12^th – 18^th calls for the likelihood of BELOW 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 portions of southern San Benito and southeastern Monterey Counties. Drought-free for the remainder of the KION coverage area.     
-Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of June 5^th : 57.6ºF (avg. of 7 buoys) [Historic June Avg. SST: 56.7ºF]