Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
068 FXUS66 KEKA 191132 AFDEKA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Eureka CA 432 AM PDT Wed Jun 19 2024 .SYNOPSIS...Dry weather is expected for the foreseeable future. Interior temperatures begin a slow warming trend today through the work week with temperatures approaching 100 degrees in some interior valley locations Friday into Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... Dry conditions are expected to persist for the next week as dry air remains in place within the mid-levels of the atmosphere over Northwest California. Troughing will keep temperatures over the interior near normal today. By Thursday the trough will begin to break down and 850 mb temperatures will warm across the interior allowing some interior valleys to approach 100 degrees Friday into Saturday. While this is occurring, northerly winds and increasing low- level moisture at the coast will result in increasing chances of coastal stratus through the week with temperatures remaining near normal at coastal sites. This increase in stratus has already begun with widespread clouds now evident on satellite off the Humboldt and Del Norte coasts. Temperatures will moderate a few degrees across the interior over the weekend into early next week as another trough approaches the area lowering 1000-500 mb heights. The trough next week is looking sharper than the current passing trough and may bring showers to portions of Oregon and Washington and a dry frontal passage to our region. This could once again caused a stronger push of gusty winds into Mendocino and Lake counties next week if the trough remains as sharp as model trends are indicating. && .AVIATION... A weak trough developed over the last 12 hours and will continue to move offshore from the Del Norte and northern Humboldt coasts. This will continue to cause offshore flow along the northern Humboldt Coast and southeasterly flow along the Del Norte Coast. As a result, coastal stratus development has been delayed along the North Coast. However, stratus has begun to form just off the northern Humboldt Coast while stratus has moved onshore around Humboldt Bay and south to the Eel River and down the valley. As offshore flow eases, stratus will move onshore early to mid morning which will affect ACV. The southerly flow around the Del Norte Coast will advect stratus north into CEC by mid to late morning. Onshore flow through today will most likely keep stratus around the coast. Some scattering may occur, but coastal stratus will continue to lurk right on the beaches or just offshore. VFR conditions are expected around Ukiah through the TAF period. /JLW && .MARINE... Northerlies continue to decrease into today, but will remain in small craft criteria for all zones except the northern inner waters. Each afternoon there will be a slight uptick in northerlies with the highest winds (still below gale conditions) occurring in the lee of Cape Mendocino. Coverage for the expansion fan will be sufficient to keep a small craft advisory in the southern outer waters through the end of the week; however, by this afternoon only a small portion of the southern inner waters, just south of the Cape, will have small craft winds. Due to this, the small craft advisory for the southern inner waters will expire this afternoon. High resolution wind models and NBM indicate that the outer zones will remain in small craft conditions through the end of the week with another slight increase in winds into this weekend as a result of high pressure building into the region. Seas will remain steep through the week due to the winds, especially in the outer waters. Two to three foot, long period westerly and southwesterly swells will continue through the waters into the end of the week. /JLW && .EKA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA... None. NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS... Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PDT this afternoon for PZZ455. Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PDT Friday for PZZ470-475. && $$ 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