Well, it has been a pretty spectacular holiday weekend here in central California. At least if you weren't stuck in valley fog. Santa Cruz was sunny and calm with quite warm temperatures. I never did find the elusive 70F mark, but I did manage get to within a degree. Sunday was much better than anticipated, and may have even been the warmest of the past three days. Hard to say, as today was very nice. I really do notice how the short the day is though, as it seems to have been warmest just before sunset.
The Sierra had record breaking temperatures from Tahoe to Mammoth. The clouds seemed to have been held at bay, and certainly any precipitation was kept to the north. A strong inversion has set in, and temperatures above 7000F have been quite mild. Overnight lows on Saturday night stayed in the 40s for much of the high alpine. While this is not an unusual occurrence for January, it is notable.
Over the next few days, we should see temperatures drop a bit, and then moderate. The high pressure that has settled in upon us, and provided us with warmth, has also continued to deflect storms to the north. This bubble will shift west over the next few days, and as a result, a storm will drive by our northeast on Wednesday. This will usher in much colder air, especially for the mountains. The crest may block much of this cold air from spilling into the central valley. At the coast, we could see just a slight cooling of air, but a quick rebound is expected by Friday. In Tahoe, we could see night time lows dipping as far down as the teens, with highs struggling to get above freezing on Wednesday. Slight moderating trend through the weekend. As far as precipitation goes, we can expect to stay dry through at least next weekend.
The MJO is in the Western Pacific, and still moving eastward. Progress is slow, and it is pretty week. We should still see at least some shifting of the Jet Stream, and maybe some California storms. Still, nothing significant is yet showing on the models. A few storms brushing by to our north, offering some rain. Still keeping an eye on the last week of the month, and will post up here as soon as anything interesting shows on the models.
Snow? Expect a pretty decent corn cycle to set up around the end of the week, with nightly freezing temperatures and daily melt. Surf? On the increase through the week, with a good chance of offshore flow starting late Wednesday. Big swell to arrive on Friday for the weekend. Bike? Reports are of good tacky trails in the SC mountains.
Anyone get out to look at their gardens this weekend? We got some soil turned, and plants thinned. This is a very good spell to get some plants in the ground if you are at all interested in a mid winter planting. Lettuces tend to be a safe bet. I suspect one could get kale or even broccoli started. Peas - definitely worth the chance if you have any open space. We will even try a potato start. We will need to see how it goes.
Our soils are till pretty moist, but you may want to check your plants. It is easy to forget to water in the winter. The soil is pretty warm, and we can expect sun for at least 7 days, and perhaps even more. Not a bad time to get cool weather plants and/or seeds in the ground. As a hint, try soaking peas in water for a day before planting. If your seedlings get established before they are either hit by cold or pounding rain, you may get a nice harvest in April. Also, if you plan to grow some peppers from seed this year, now is the time to get them started indoors. Keep the soil moist and warm. A south facing window can be perfect.
In short, a pretty nice week. Coolest on Wednesday. Friday almost as nice as today. Fog should begin to burn off tomorrow for you folks that have been seeing grey all weekend.
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