Colder. And soon, much much wetter.

Things will start to cool off quite a bit this evening and tomorrow, after what was another beautiful day.  In fact, days like today will seem a wonderful memory after a few weeks of what is to come.  First, we start off with increasing chilly evenings.  Sunday morning may bottom out just above freezing right along the coast.  Move inland just a bit and it looks like a solid frost is in order.  Elevated valleys along the coastal range, like Scotts Valley could see temperatures dropping into the low 20s.  That could me some black ice on the roads at sunrise.  Mid to low 50s should be the highs on Sunday, with an even cooler day on Monday.  A bigger issue will be the coastal morning lows dropping below freezing by Monday morning, with Tuesday morning look the coldest.  Maybe high 20s in Santa Cruz for Martin Luther King Day.  And breezy to boot, with all that Arctic air moving into our region.

Old tractors and farm equipment at Wilder Ranch.  A great spot for biking and strolling in Santa Cruz.

So the next step is some rain moving in.  By Wednesday, the daytime highs will be reaching into the high 50s with lows backing back to the mid to high 30s.  So not quite as cold as, but it will be damp.  Still looking like the area north of San Francisco will see rain moving down the coast on Wednesday.  By Thursday rain should move south past Monterey and snow up in Tahoe.  Speaking of which, this wave looks warm, so we should get some heavy, wet, good base building snow.  Thank you.  Another wave passes through Friday into Saturday, with a good chance of a third Sunday and into the first part of next week.  Long term models are suggesting more wet weather to follow.  So while it will be cool, or even cold, the rest of this weekend, get out there and enjoy what sun we have left.

To wrap this up tonight, cold and sunny for a few more days.  After that it gets wet.  Transition day on Wednesday and rainy through the rest of the forecast period.  We will get a better handle on how wet, and any breaks in the weather, as we get get closer.  Best advice is to get you sun, because it could be wet for an extended period.