The last hoorah.

Well, kind of.  But first, what a weekend!  Up in the Sierra it was prime spring skiing.  Cold nights, warm days, a clear sky and a slight breeze kept the corn in perfect condition.  The upper elevations were prime with some hidden powder stashes from the storms of last week.  I even got out for two runs with the little guy.  He was the youngest schusser on the hill, without a doubt.  And he loved it.  What a fantastic weekend to be out on the snow.  And today should be just as nice.

In fact, down here, ocean side, we are looking at a pretty fine day.  Santa Cruz will struggle to hit 70F, but in our sunny and protected zones (read West Side) it will get pretty darn close.  And with that April sun getting higher in the sky, it will be toasty when it is shinning down upon you.  If you want to be sure to score heat, head just a bit inland to Scotts Valley, or over the hill to the Saratoga - Los Gatos zone.  Yup, it will be 70 plus in them parts.  The Central Valley will be even warmer.  It was 76F yesterday at about 4PM in Clements and near Stockton.  Ah, Spring has sprung.  But don't expect that to continue for long.

Clouds clear after a week of snowy weather at Kirkwood.  After a brief period of warmth, snow returns this week.

Rain by Tuesday.  And much cooler air.  The storm that has sat off shore, just to our west, for the last few days (and pumping in that warm air) will move in later tonight.  We should awake to showers on Tuesday and high temperatures about 10 degrees cooler than today.  It will feel pretty wintery for sure.  And it is going to stick around for a while.  The rest of the work week looks wet.  As we look at the week more closely, we have pretty good chances for showers through the day on Tuesday.  It does look like this first system is fairly week and dispersed, so expect sporadic showery weather.  Don't get me wrong, the precipitation will be moderate, and not light.  It just won't likely be a solid rain spell.  More off and on.  A few inches of snow for the Sierra.

Wednesday looks cooler, as in mid 50s.  At least the rain will be lighter.  Lets call it light showers.  Off and on through the day,  lightest late in the day as we see a brief break between storms.  The real water maker shows up late morning on Thursday and sticks around over night.  Cold temps continue.  But this thing will be moving through swiftly.  Look for a foot and half of snow in the mountains.  Freezing levels down below 5000 feet in the strongest squalls.  Things should start to break up on Friday, but plan for continue cold and showery weather.  You will need to wait for the weekend for some real sun.  But don't expect too much of a warm up until the following week.  Say around 62F for the weekend highs.

So.  Sun and warmth continue today.  Moderate showers and cooler Tuesday.  Cold and light showers for Wednesday.  Rain and cold on Thursday.  Friday showers and cold.  Clearing late.  Sun and cool for the coming weekend.  Chance of warming trend the following week.