Breezy, with a chance of light mountain snow.

Not quite rainy weather on the way, but upslope region could see some precipitation, with snow at elevation.  More on that later.  For now, let us talk about wind.  It is going to get real breezy today.  Even more so than yesterday.  I knew it was supposed to pick up on Monday as the gradient moved south, but was surprised by how much the wind did come up.  30 knots plus clocked at Long Marine Lab, just west of Natural Bridges.  Marine layer moved in over night, and moderated the breeze for the morning, but the wind is still blowing stiffly off shore.  That should clear the grey out fairly early today.  A combination of morning clouds and afternoon winds will keep the temperature moderate.  Mid 60s is the call.  This trend will basically continue, with a slight twist on Thursday.

Looking into Big Painted Canyon, east of Palm Springs, California.

A low pressure driving south, and a bit to our east through mid week will actually cause the gradient to collapse slightly on Thursday, turning winds more toward slack.  Same system will bring rain to areas inland, and snow possible below pass level.  If you are planning to drive over the Sierra mid-week, be prepared to encounter some snowy conditions.  Not that the pavement won't melt things off quickly, but slush is pretty tough stuff to drive through.  Anyway, we might see some showers in the local hills, but doubt we see more than heavy cloud cover.  If that.  In fact, we could be lucky enough to have the storm to our east, with the marine layer pushed out to sea, and partly sunny skies and light winds.  Still cool though, as the storm will bring a weak cold front.  Westerly gradient seems to develop through the weekend.  Not as strong, but still enough for marine layered mornings and windy afternoons.  Feels a bit like spring.