Storm Has Passed.

The worst of that wet and wild winter storm has shifted to our south and east.  You may have missed it.  You may have been sleeping, but Santa Cruz received between one and two tenths of an inch.  Almost double the forecast, leaving the roads and ground with a wet surface for the sunrise.  Cloudy right now at 7AM.  And chilly.  About 48F on the west side.  33F this morning in Los Gatos, in the Sierra Azul Open Space, along McQueen Ridge.  Most of the readings in Santa Cruz county are in the mid to upper 40s though.  Clouds clear and the day warms a bit into the mid 50s.  It will be a chilly day for the most part.  Wear a sweater.  Sunny afternoon and another cold (in fact, colder) night on tap for us.

Lighthouse Field.  Beautiful light and  great spot for a rehab walk.

The next few days will be cool, warming a bit each day, into the upper 50s for Friday.  Over night, we will be clear, and crisp, dropping into the upper 30s.  Early Friday morning, we could drop into the mid 30s.  Still a few degrees above freezing, but if you live in one of the cold hollow, shaded and wind protected zones, and you have sensitive plants, now is the time to prepare and get a row cover out there.  This is the coldest weather of the year arriving.  It must be the holidays.

Warming comes with the weekend.  Low, the mid 60s for daytime highs.  Christmas Day looks like it will be about 65F, sunny and calm.  Overnight lows climb back into the low 40s.  We do see a chance for more rain after Christmas, maybe arriving on the 26th or 27th, but the models are still all over the place. The pattern is shifting again, and we will just need to wait and see if a system can cut under our protective high pressure.