Missed Us.

But there is a chance next week.  Kind of cool.  In case you are wondering, it is rain that I am talking about.  Not a total miss.  When we pulled into our driveway yesterday afternoon, and I stepped out of the truck, I exclaimed, "It's raining."  My son returned in his typical, up talking, long on the n, "no!  It is not."  I could not blame him for not believing me, this time.  It was so light, and fine, that is was barely more than a mist, but when you looked skyward, it lightly speckled your face.  It lasted ten minutes, and was limited in scope, as I could see the cloud it distinctly fell from.  The ground never wetted, and I collected no water.  I get more from a heavy fog.  Oh well.  There is a chance next week.

Still on track for some nice weather over the next few days.  A few clouds around tomorrow.  Just a few.  Warmer, in the mid 70s.  Not much in the way of morning fog.  That NW breezes lightens up a little bit, but remains quite brisk in the afternoon.  It gets a good bit warmer, and winds a touch lighter on Friday; it could be 80F downtown, with upper 70s along West Cliff.  Breeze will chill you out by the water, though.  Lighter winds Saturday, and perhaps some light, to even slack winds for Sunday.  Temps moderate, with low to mid 70s on Sunday.  It could be a great day though. We will even be seeing some south swell in the water.  More on the weekend later.  I need to get to bed.

Snow tonight.

Along the Sierra Crest.  And inch or more.  Maybe a foot along the higher peaks south of Tahoe.  Kind of cool for mid May.  Like many of these events, much of it will slip by us.  This one to our east, and south.  Still, we get some.  Clouds fill in tonight.  That, along with the winds, will keep the warmth at bay.  Or, rather, inland.  What little there is of it.  But, yay, Saratoga is warmer than Asilomar folks.  Anyway, it will be warm tonight.  Cloud cover can offer that.  Low temp of about 50F.  Good for seedlings.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, clouds increase and by later in the day we could see some very light, and sporadic showers.  High temp of just about 60F.  Rain chances and intensity increase through the evening, and past dark, but this is no rain maker.  Low, again, around 50F.  Total rain fall of less than a quarter inch.  If you have a rain collection system, and it needs to be adjusted, or engaged, you may want to do that this afternoon.  I expect to collect about 20 gallons by Wednesday morning, and while that is not much, it is much more than I've collected over the past few weeks.  Things change abruptly on Wednesday.

Once is Enough, Heart Chute, and the Sisters.  Kirkwood, California.  February, 2017.

As in the clouds clear, and we warm up.  Nicely.  Upper 60s and sun on Wednesday, and fairly breezy off the ocean.  In fact, this system pretty much swings through to our north and east enough that winds never shift out of the NW for any period of time.  They may swing a bit on Tuesday, but not forecasted.  Anyway, warm on Wednesday.  Warmer on Thursday and pushing 80F for Friday and the weekend.  At least downtown.  Beaches will be in the mid to upper 70s.  Winds back down each day and might even blow offshore in the morning Friday.  Plenty of wind swell out there.  Just need to find a window where the winds let off enough to go get at it.  Checking back in tomorrow.

Sunny and Breezy.

Today, Friday, broke with not a fog wisp in the sky.  At least by the time I looked out the window at 7AM, but based on the immense shine coming into my room prior to then, I believe it broke plenty sunny.  That has allowed for the warmest morning of the week, at 55F before 8AM.  The forecast high for today is 65F, but I'm willing to wager it get closer to 70F today, especially in those favored locations out of the wind.  Being out of the wind will be the big determinate today for warmth.  Gust of 25 mph are expected at the Marine Lab and along parts of West Cliff.  Just a few blocks inland will mellow things out considerably.  Get tucked up into Harvey West, and it might even feel calm for bits.  Still, I'd expect some gust find their way even into the most tucked away spots.  More of the same through the weekend, with winds lightening a bit by Sunday.  Spring.  Then it gets interesting.

Still plenty of snow up in the Sierra.  Glove Rock at Kirkwood.

Over the next few days we will be in the mid 60s, dropping to the low 60s Sunday.  This due to a rain system encroaching on us from the north.  This storm will be effecting the PNW and NorCal over the next few days.  And us as well in that it will suppress any warming.  BTW, I changed my mind on hitting 70F today after walking outside.  It is sunny, but that air mass is in fact quite cool.  By Monday a second system begins to move ashore to our north, but this one looks like it could scrape our region.  For us that will mean continued cold weather on Monday, but by Tuesday we could see a moderate period of light rain showers.  While this is no major rain storm, it is plenty big for mid May.  Be prepared for a little rain.  We rebound quick.  By the end of next week, we could be back up into the lower 70s.  I'll have an update sometime on Mother's Day regarding next week.  And for now, make sure you wish your mother a very happy Mother's Day this Sunday.

Spring Like?

Pretty sizable wind swell in the water right this morning.  Local buoys are recording 15 foot plus at a short 11 seconds.  Local winds are pretty strong as well, creating plenty of surface chop.  Still, this is good size for May.    The rain storm passed well north of us yesterday.  Squaw Valley is still turning lifts (and will do so until July 4th and beyond) and received 7" of snow since yesterday morning.  Powder day!  Otherwise the weather is moving back into typical range for a few days.  Sort of.

Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

It will be on the cooler side with the afternoon highs reaching only into the mow 60s.  Brrr.  There will be periods of sun, but mornings could have a decent layer of fog.  Especially along the water.  Overnight lows will likely hover around 50F, unless we see stars.  In that case we will drop into the upper 40s.  Not quite cold enough to damage your plants and garden seedlings.  In fact, we will see a fairly nice week for a starting summer garden.  Those hot days we saw at the start of last week are tough on young plants.  More moderate weather allows them to nicely transition to a strong vegetative stage.  That makes them big and burly for flowering and fruiting.  As we head into the latter part of the week, we see another decently sized rain system push ashore to our north.  NorCal could get a decent little rain maker, with more snow for the Sierra.  After a record breaking year for rain fall in the northern Sierra, more is on the way.  Go figure.  Extremes.  Anyway, we should stay dry, but could see some southerly flow followed by cool air and strong north westerlies.  Transitions.

Reprieve

Okay folks.  Been a few weeks of some weather.  Been busy getting out in it.  The snow and surf have both been quite fun this spring, when I've had the chance to be out there in the elements.  In that time, we have shifted into full on spring mode.  A bit warmer than typical the past few days, and we will see an end to what my son was calling the "heat attack" since about last Friday.  Yesterday seemed particularly warm, but then again, we retreated to spend the afternoon at 4 Mile on Monday.  Always a bit cooler on the water's edge.  It was a nice afternoon for the beach.  Sunday late morning saw a bunch of people tide pooling in the exposed reefs at Waddell Beach during the low tide hours.  Anyway, we are here to talk about the forecast, not what was.

March contest atop Vista at Kirkwood.  Gorgeous warm sunny spring skiing day. 

A little less warmth today.  Still quite nice, but a good 5 to 8 degrees cooler than yesterday.  Mid to upper 70s and sunshine.  Winds look a bit mellower today, so that should keep the coast line feeling the same.  Those spring time winds have been in full effect with 20 plus knot winds blowing out of the north west on the outer waters, with 15 plus near shore in the afternoons.  Today those near shores stay below 10 knots for the most part.  Cooler air is moving in, and fog could form overnight into Thursday morning, especially over the water.  Thursday will hang out in the upper 60s, with southerly flow on the water, and fog perhaps hanging out through late morning.  Could be a chilly one after the heat attack of the last few days.  A small south swell is due to arrive this evening, so that might make for a good day of surf, keeping the strong NW at bay.  This is still spring-ish, but more summer like weather.  What comes next is perhaps a return to some winter-ish.

The passing system on Thursday, brings a return to gusty northwest winds on Friday.  Fog gets cleared out and it will stay in the mid to upper 60s.  Should be a cool, but not cold, blustery day.  A system brushes us to our north, bringing increased clouds for Saturday.  Not a full sky of grey, but for sure some passing clouds.  As the day wears on, the chance for a shower increases and then sticks around through much of the weekend.  And temps dip to a high in the low to mid 60s.  Not very spring like.  Winds will be quite strong on Saturday, but mellow a bit on Sunday.  Meanwhile, Tahoe is likely going to receive some fresh snow.  Sunday could be a shallow pow day, and Monday a transition day and Tuesday some prime corn.  Winter and Spring return.