Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
864 FXUS66 KEKA 061143 AFDEKA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Eureka CA 443 AM PDT Mon May 6 2024 .SYNOPSIS...A weak front will bring light rain showers across the region today. Building high pressure will increase northerly to northeasterly winds Tuesday through Thursday while temperatures trend much higher. && .DISCUSSION...A weak frontal system is clipping the region today, bringing light showers with best coverage mainly in Del Norte County where 0.25 to 0.5 inch is forecast. Much lighter values can be expected down to Trinity and Humboldt counties, while Lake and Mendocino counties will begin to experience warmer daytime temperatures. Tuesday will mark the first day of a significant warming trend through the entire forecast area, that will likely span through the weekend. Northerly winds will also increase on Tuesday as a strong ridge of high pressure takes shape. Gusts over 35 mph are likely Tuesday afternoon over exposed coastal headlands and ridges. As the ridge continues to amplify, an upper trough will retrograde west into the Great Basin. This setup will be favorable to strengthen interior N to NE winds which are indeed forecast to be breezy Tuesday night into Thursday. These winds will be strongest over the interior ridges of Lake County. The strong ridge and periods of offshore flow will further enhance the warming temperatures, allowing for 70s to the coast and interior valleys to reach to mid to upper 80s on Friday and likely into the weekend. Confidence has increased on this scenario, with the highest probabilities for inland valley temperatures over 85 degrees on Saturday. This will be quite a swing from the below average temperatures currently underway, allowing little time for acclimation. /JJW && .AVIATION...A weak front will bring some light rain to ACV and CEC today along with some gusty south winds. The front will move inland this afternoon allowing winds to weaken and any lingering rain to end. MVFR ceilings will be possible as the rain moves through today. Otherwise VFR will prevail over most areas inland today with gusty northerly winds developing this afternoon into tomorrow, especially on the ridges. Coastal areas will see the northerlies ramp up on Tuesday with gusts over 30 mph likely. /RPA && .MARINE...Southerly winds will peak this morning as a frontal boundary moves through the waters. Winds will quickly turn to out of the north this afternoon and overnight, ramping up into gales on Tuesday. This will be in response to a building area of high pressure over the eastern Pacific and confidence is very high in a strong gale Tuesday afternoon into Thursday. Very steep seas will build in response to the gales with seas peaking over 15 ft at 10-11 seconds. The thermal trough will build toward the coast late in the week resulting in a weakening pressure gradient over the waters and likely some weak southerly return flow near the immediate coast. /RPA && .EKA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA... Frost Advisory until 10 AM PDT this morning for CAZ107-108. Frost Advisory until 9 AM PDT this morning for CAZ110-111- 113-115. NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS... Small Craft Advisory until noon PDT today for PZZ450. Gale Watch from Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night for PZZ450-455-470-475. Small Craft Advisory until noon PDT today for PZZ470. && $$ Visit us at https://www.weather.gov/eureka Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at: https://www.facebook.com/NWSEureka https://www.twitter.com/NWSEureka For forecast zone information see the forecast zone map online: https://www.weather.gov/images/eka/zonemap.png