Category: Forecast

May 6, 2020 Summary: Strong upper level high pressure is centered over northern Baja this morning, driving temperatures over the Desert Southwest well into triple digits as well as the lower deserts of southern California.  To our north, a trough of low pressure is currently moving through the Pacific Northwest.  That trough will temporarily weaken…

May 5, 2020 Summary: The two main features on model information this morning are an upper high west of the northern Baja coastline and a big low which has been parked in the Gulf of Alaska.  Between these two main features is a west to east flow across the eastern Pacific and into California.  Temperatures…

  May 4, 2020 Summary: A large area of low pressure continues to reside in the Gulf of Alaska while a zonal, or westerly, flow continues underneath this feature across the eastern Pacific and into California.  This regime typically results in fairly seasonal conditions for central California, although models are indicating marginal increases in pressure…

ay 2, 2020 Summary: A broad trough of low pressure extends from the Gulf of Alaska southward into the Pacific Northwest and northern California.  Weak waves of low pressure move through the trough from time to time.  As this occurs, pressure briefly lowers over the interior, setting the stage for gusty winds along the west…

May 1, 2020 Summary: Temperatures are down another 3 to 5 degrees from 24 hours ago.  There remains a 13 millibar difference in pressure between San Francisco and Las Vegas with roughly 7 millibars of difference between Bakersfield and Daggett.  This means somewhat breezy conditions will continue, mainly along the west side but elsewhere, as…

April 30, 2020 Summary: Even though temperatures will continue above average today, today will be a transition day for the beginning of a cooling trend which will lower temperatures to near seasonal averages over the weekend.  A dry cold front moved through central California during the early morning hours.  Its associated upper trough of low…

April 29, 2020 Summary: Upper level high pressure is beginning to shift into the interior west while a trough of low pressure over the eastern Pacific begins to approach the California coast.  High clouds have already spread over northern and parts of central California.  Even though the marine layer has deepened to around 1,500 feet…

April 28, 2020 Summary: The center of circulation of strong upper level high pressure is just to the southwest of Santa Maria this morning.  the marine layer, as a result, has peeled back to just 400 feet at Monterey while the freezing level is just under 15,000 feet, close to summer like configurations.  Yesterday, temperatures…

April 27, 2020 Summary: A number of locations on the valley floor hit 90 over the weekend for the first time this season.  Temperatures this morning, however, are generally down from 3 to 6 degrees from yesterday’s readings.  This is due to a marginal weakening of the high due to a weak wave of low…

April 25, 2020 Summary: The marine layer is something we have not talked about in recent months but will come more into play as we head into the warm and eventually hot season.  Currently, the marine layer at Monterey stands at 900 feet.  That’s much too shallow for that modified sea breeze to move very…