Prepare for Winter.

Hey folks.  Another fine day out there.  I was enjoying life in the high Sierra at 10,00 feet today.  In the shade, it was cold, and the snow was wintery. In the sun, it was in the high 40s and the snow was sun baked.  All things considered it was a great day to be out and experiencing a wintery landscape.  Tomorrow looks to be almost as nice, even if it is to be a bit windy.  Then things look to cool off.  In fact it will cool quite a bit at elevation.

From Round Top to Thimble Peak.  Looking into the beautiful Kirkwood Valley.

The big news for today and Friday is some winds in the hills north and east of San Francisco.  Down here in the Cruz, we should be spared.  In some areas, they could gust up to 35 mph coming out of the northeast.  That could mean some off shore winds for the surf on the coast.  Down along the water, it will be a bit more northerly.  And the surf is holding at a decent size.  But if you prefer warm weather, Friday is the last in the series.  Nothing quite like the past two, but high 60s for in town Santa Cruz and mid 60s along the cliffs.  By the weekend, we start to drop down to just about the 60F mark.  And the nights will begin to cool as well.

Night sets up on the slopes, giving off that lovely alpine glow.  

How cold will it get?  The models are not in agreement on this.  We could be seeing temps toping out int he low 50s next week, but others forecast holding steady at 60F.  Regardless, after this past week, it will feel quite chilly.  And the rain does not look like it is far behind.  As it stands now, we should see mostly sun and some clouds over the weekend.  More clouds and slight chance of precipitation as you move north and east.  Maybe another dusting of snow for Tahoe.  As next week progresses, we see an increase in chances for rain.  We will need to wait and see.  Just know, the chance is there.