More great weather for the coming week. Big waves to finish out this week.

Another beautifully lit winter sky.

The SE Papa Buoy (which happens to be in the north eastern Pacific.  What?) jumped up to 23 feet at 16 seconds this morning.  For those of you who are are not wave watchers, this is a very big swell, and it is charging across the waters on its way to our local beaches.  It should arrive after sunset this evening, and peak in the early morning hours.  While it will have dropped significantly by the time it arrives along our coast, it will still be quite big.  Expect waves to show in the 15-20 foot range.  It will be quite the show.  If you are surfer, please know what you are doing.  This will be an 'experts only' condition.  Even in the more protected waters of Santa Cruz and Capitola, side shore currents will be strong, and there will be sneaker sets.  For those of you who charge, game on.  And for all the voyeurs out there, this will be a great time to get out and watch some mayhem.  Mavs will be breaking Friday morning.  Ocean Beach and Steamer Lane will also have quite a show going.  Just stay well clear of the ocean folks, as the water level can rise quite quickly and dramatically during the bigger sets.  And stay off the rocks.  Don't be that guy that gets swept into the cold winter ocean.

Right now, the weather is a bit boring.  Sure, there are some variations, like morning fog today.  That should burn off quick.  After that, we are expecting a mostly clear sky and mild day time temperatures.  Mornings continue to be fairly crisp, with lows getting down into the mid to high 30s across the region.  Some northern and inland valleys are trying to dip into the freezing range, but for now we look mostly frost free.  Once the sun comes up, things warm up quite a bit.  Right along the coast we can expect low to mid 60s.  If you are out in the sun, and protected from the breeze, it should be quite warm.  Breezes remain light, but expect a little flow coming off the ocean in the afternoons.  This pattern looks to continue through at least the middle of next week.  The storm that should effect the PNW starting tonight will stay well north of us.  Still no rain or snow in the short term.

The O'neil cat cruising Steamer Lane.  Expect big waves here in the coming days.

Are are still looking at a large scale pattern change starting around the 10th.  What the exact results of this will be are still up in the air.  We could see the storm doors finally open wide.  Still, there is a chance that our ridge could stay in place as cold and snow impact the east instead.  I know that every skier in the state is hoping that this does not happen.  I also hear a lot of skiers out there giving up on winter.  Don't.  It would be quite an anomaly if we don't see another 200 inches of snow fall this season.  And it is not out of the question for us to see 400 or more.  We have gone 6 weeks now without rain and snow.  Sounds like a long time, but we had a longer dry spell than that last winter, and most would agree it was the most epic of seasons.  Cross your fingers, wash your cars and perform your snow dances.  On a positive water note, most of the state's reservoirs are still above average capacity for the date.  So on that front, we are in good shape.

For now, enjoy the great weather.  And don't forget to water your winter gardens.  Cool nights and warm days for the next week.  Keep an eye out here for news of a change in the weather.  And go watch  the waves.  Or enjoy (and be safe in) the surf.  It will be going off Richter tomorrow.