Bring it.

We need it.  Sure, that sunshine outside that helps foster one's sense of spring is an added bonus to the every day life here along the central coast.  But we need rain.  And a snow pack.  The fabulous weather that we have been enjoying since the brief spell of rain last week (and was around for quite a bit prior to that rain) looks to be coming to a close as we enter the coming week.  The week will start off with a nearly summer like feel, with foggy mornings clearing to warm, yet breezy afternoons.  Mid 60s continue.  Clouds fill in Tuesday evening and showers are expected by morning in the north bay.  The Tahoe region could see light snow beginning on Tuesday evening.  And with a little luck, a wet period will commence.

Carp in Neary Lagoon looking like ghost fish in the silty water.

Make some plans for indoor activities or put on your puddle stompers.  You may even be able to turn off your sprinkler system for a week or two.  This is not some super wet storm train kind of deal setting up.  More like an unsettled pattern.  Storms begin sweep through to our north Tuesday, dragging their soggy bottoms across our state.  Right now it looks like Santa Cruz can expect showers around mid day Wednesday through Thursday.  By Friday, a small system will start wrapping itself up off the northern California coast.  That system should begin pressing south and then east, slowly moving through our region.  After a brief break on Friday, we could see more significant rain coming for the Easter weekend.  But what is really interesting is how the models remain active going into week 2.  Let's finish off the month wet, and start the next one the same way.  A few weeks of rain could really helps us out in the long run.

Temps are moderate with these storms next week.  Snow levels look high, but well below 8000 feet, which is basically the altitude we measure the snow pack from.  A few inches here.  A few inches there.  A foot or more through the work week, which a chance of feet by next Monday.  If the storms continue into April, we could start measuring this series in several feet, which would bode well for our water sheds as well as the skiing crowd.  There has been a dearth of powder days this year.  In week 2, we could be looking at colder temps, which would mean lower snow levels and lighter pow up high.  But in the mean time, we are seeing a decent south swell rolling through this weekend, with a series of modest north wests filling in starting tonight.  More of the combo swell kind of thing with decent winds in the morning.  Nothing great, but fun, reasonable surf, none the less.