Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Los Angeles, CA

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333 FXUS66 KLOX 161754 AAA AFDLOX Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 1054 AM PDT Sun Jun 16 2024 updated aviation discussion .SYNOPSIS...16/345 AM. Warm to hot conditions are expected again today, although it will be a bit cooler in most areas. More significant cooling is likely Monday, then minor changes through Wednesday. Temperatures will then trend upwards by the end of this week. Gusty north to northwest winds will affect portions of the region, including southern Santa Barbara County, the Interstate 5 cooridor, Antelope Valley, and the Central Coast, through at least Monday night. && .SHORT TERM (TDY-TUE)...16/946 AM. ***UPDATE*** Strengthening northwest to north winds across the I-5 corridor in northwest LA County as well as the Ventura County mountains, especially tonight, will combine with low relative humidity to create favorable conditions for rapid spread and intensification of wildfires. This includes the ongoing Post Fire complex, and a Red Flag Warning has been issued. Please reference the Fire Weather section below for additional information. Smoke from the Post Fire complex will affect a large portion of LA County and eastern Ventura County and will bring air-quality impacts to many areas. The forecast has been updated to account for the addition of smoke. Please reference the Air Quality Alert Message for additional information. With increasing upper support over the area in the base of a deepening cyclone positioned well north of the forecast area, the strongest winds will become primarily focused to the I-5 corridor in northwest LA County as well as the northern and southern Ventura County mountains, in addition to the western Santa Barbara County South Coast and western Santa Ynez Range. The High Wind Warning continues for these areas, with wind gusts increasing to 60-70 mph tonight. The latest indications are that there will be a relative minimum in these winds across the Santa Barbara County interior mountains, where wind gusts could still reach upwards of 50 mph, and the High Wind Warning has been replaced by a Wind Advisory. While the Wind Advisory for the Santa Clarita Valley expires at 11AM PDT this morning, there is an 80% chance that another Wind Advisory will be issued for tonight into Monday. A Heat Advisory remains in effect today for southern Santa Barbara County, where temperatures today will soar well into the 90s away from the immediate coast. For additional details regarding the forecast, please reference the discussion sections below. ***From Previous Discussion*** Strong NW-N winds continued across much of southern SBA County, the mountains from eastern SBA County thru L.A. County, thru the I-5 Corridor, in the foothills of the Antelope Valley and in the Santa Clarita Valley. Temperatures were still in the mid 70s to around 80 in some foothill locations in SBA/VTU/L.A. Counties early this morning. An eddy circulation has developed across the inner waters, and low clouds have pushed into southern L.A. County. Expect clouds to overspread most of the L.A. County coast this morning and possibly slip into the San Gabriel Valley. N of Pt Conception, low clouds have developed in southern portions of the Central Coast and in the Santa Ynez Valley due to upslope flow against the N slopes of the Santa Ynez Range. Clouds should clear in most areas by mid morning. There will probably be areas of smoke from the Post Fire across portions of L.A. County today. An unseasonably strong and cold upper low will move into and across Washington state today, then into Idaho and eventually Montana tonight and Mon. To the south of this upper low, a trough will sharpen across CA later today and tonight, then it will move east and flatten Mon. Strong westerly flow aloft will continue across the region through tonight, then fast west to northwest broadly cyclonic flow will continue through Tue. At the surface, N-S gradients will remain strong right through early Tue. As a result, a long duration strong NW to N wind event will affect many parts of Southwest California thru at least Mon night. Winds will likely be strongest this morning, and again late this afternoon thru late tonight, with gusts to 60 to 65 mph in the more favored locations. High Wind Warning level winds may be somewhat less widespread tonight, but they will still likely occur across southwestern SBA County, the interior mtns of SBA County, the Ventura County mtns, thru the I-5 Corridor, and in the western foothills of the Antelope Valley. While winds should drop below High Wind Warning levels in southeastern SBA County this morning, winds will likely remain at advisory level at times through late tonight, and possibly again late Mon and Mon night. Advisory level NW winds will likely continue in the Antelope Valley thru late tonight, and will likely redevelop this afternoon/evening on the Central Coast. There will likely be another round of gusty NW winds in the Santa Clarita Valley tonight after a lull later this morning, and wind advisories may have to be extended there thru at least late tonight. With falling heights and some cooling thru the atmosphere, max temps today should be a few degrees lower than they were Sat in most areas. However, they should still be somewhat above normal. Temps will be very tricky across southern SBA County, as warm downslope northerly winds will be battling with the cooler marine air pushed northward by the eddy circulation in the inner waters. It does appear that there will be significant cooling in southeastern SBA County today, especially near the coast from the city of Santa Barbara eastward. However, max temps may still jump again late this afternoon/evening, and since it remained fairly warm overnight, the chance of heat stress may be a bit higher than the max temps might suggest. After some consideration, have decided to leave the Heat Advisory as is for southern SBA County especially since it includes the foothills which will likely be very warm again today. Low clouds and fog will likely be a bit more widespread tonight/Mon morning across coastal sections of L.A. County, and clouds will likely push into the San Gabriel Valley and possibly portions of the San Fernando Valley. By late tonight, some stratus could push into coastal sections of VTU County. Once again, expect some night thru morning low clouds/fog in southern portions of the Central Coast and in the Santa Ynez Valley. Expect skies to clear in most areas by late Mon morning. Height falls and cooling at 850 mb and 950 mb should bring several degrees of cooling to most areas Mon. There will be another spike in the NW winds late Mon into Mon night, but expect winds to be mostly in the Wind Advisory level range. The low level flow will try to turn more northeasterly Tue morning as pressure gradients between KLAX and KDAG turn weakly offshore. This should bring an end to the gusty NW winds in most areas late Mon night, but some gusty NE winds are possible in the mtns of L.A. County Tue morning. With the increased NE low level flow shown by the latest models, there may be somewhat of a reduction in night thru morning low clouds and fog across L.A. County Mon night/Tue morning. Max temps may actually rise a bit on Tue as heights rise slightly and both N-S and W-E gradients will be offshore to start the day. .LONG TERM (WED-SAT)...16/525 AM. There continues to be good agreement amongst the operational runs of the GFS and the EC, showing another trough developing along the West Coast Wed, sharpening in place Wed night and Thu, then beginning to flatten out and move east Fri. Heights will rise late Fri and Sat as an upper high in Texas and northern Mexico expands northwestward toward the region. This pattern should bring areas of night thru morning low clouds and fog to most coastal and some valley areas Wed thru Fri, with a possible decrease in low clouds coverage in the valleys by Fri or Sat as rising heights suppress the depth of the marine layer. N-S gradients may still be sufficient to produce gusty winds across SBA County during the late afternoon and evening hours Wed and Thu, but do not expect winds to be as strong as they have been recently. Do not expect too much change in max temps Wed and Thu, remaining generally within a few degrees of normal, then expect at least a few degrees of warming both Fri and Sat, especially across the interior. Max temps may reach or exceed 100 degrees in the Antelope Valley, and possibly the interior valleys of SLO County by Fri and Sat. && .AVIATION...
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16/1753Z. At 17Z at KLAX, the marine layer was 1900 feet deep. The top of the inversion was at 3400 ft with a temperature of 21 deg C. Overall, moderate to high confidence in the 18Z TAF package. For most sites, VFR conds are anticipated through the period. However for KOXR, KCMA, KSMO, KLAX, and KLGB, CIG restrictions to IFR/MVFR will be possible sometime between 05Z-18Z. The timing of the onset and any dissipation of the low clouds may be off +/- an hour or two. Gusty north winds will continue through the period. Light turbulence and LLWS will be likely across the mountains and foothills. KLAX...Moderate confidence in the 18Z TAF. VFR conds with a smoke layer aloft will prevail into this evening. For tonight, moderate confidence in return of IFR/MVFR CIGs with a window of +/- 2 hours for timing of return. The cigs should scatter out around 21Z Mon. No significant easterly wind component is expected. KBUR...High confidence in the 18Z TAF as CAVU conditions are expected through the period. There is a 20-30% chance for smoke to produce some MVFR VSBYs and/or BKN040-060 conditions at any time during the fcst period.
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&& .MARINE...16/804 AM. For the Outer Waters, high confidence in current forecast. Winds are expected to remain at Gale force levels through Monday. So, GALE WARNINGS will remain in place during this time (with a 20% chance of Storm force winds through Sunday night). Seas will peak in the 12 to 15 foot range through Monday. For Tuesday through Thursday, winds will subside, but remain at Small Craft Advisory (SCA) levels while seas drop below 10 feet. For the Inner Waters north of Point Sal, moderate to high confidence in current forecast. There is a 60-80% chance of Gale force winds this afternoon through tonight and a GALE WARNING remains in effect. Seas will peak between 10 to 13 foot through tonight. For Monday through Wednesday, there is a 60-80% chance of SCA level winds. On Thursday, winds and seas should remain below SCA levels. For the Inner Waters south of Point Conception, moderate to high confidence in current forecast. For the western Santa Barbara Channel, high confidence in Gale Force Winds this afternoon through tonight and a GALE WARNING remains in effect. The winds will be strongest from mid channel and westward. For Monday through Thursday, there will be a 60-80% chance of SCA level winds across the western half of the Santa Barbara Channel. Elsewhere across the southern Inner Waters, there is a 20-30% chance of SCA level winds this afternoon with high confidence in winds and seas below SCA levels Monday through Thursday. Across all of the coastal waters, steep and dangerous seas can be expected through early this week. && .BEACHES...16/806 AM. Short-period wind waves, due to gale force winds over the nearby coastal waters, will generate significant surf conditions along the local beaches today through Monday. High surf of 4 to 7 feet will impact the beaches of Ventura county. For the beaches along the Central Coast as well as Los Angeles county, elevated surf conditions will continue through Monday. Along with the surf conditions, dangerous rip currents can be expected into early this week. && .FIRE WEATHER...16/920 AM. GOES-16 satellite imagery indicates that the ongoing Post Fire complex in the vicinity of the I-5 corridor in northwest LA County and adjacent northern Ventura County continues to grow in size and intensity. Weather conditions will become increasingly conducive for further growth and intensification of this complex, especially tonight, and a Red Flag Warning has been issued for the I-5 corridor in northwest LA County and the Ventura County Mountains. For these areas, the latest data suggest that northwest to north winds will gust to 45 to 55 mph today, increase to 60 to 70 mph range tonight, and then gradually decrease to 30 to 50 mph through the day Monday. Sustained wind speeds will generally be in the 20 to 40 mph range. These strong winds, with the notable uptick tonight, will be caused by increasing upper support overspreading Southern California in the base of a deepening cyclone centered well north of the area. The upper pattern will also bring an influx of abundant dry air into the area, and minimum afternoon relative humidity values are expected to range from 15 to 25 percent, locally as low as 10 percent in downslope- flow favored areas -- with only poor to moderate overnight recovery to around 25 to 40 percent tonight. While live fuel moisture readings are still quite high, ample fuel loading of dead fuels is likely contributing to the extreme fire behavior with the Post Fire complex, and increasingly favorable meteorological conditions are expected to foster further growth and intensification of this fire complex or any other fires developing in the Red Flag Warning area. The Red Flag Warning is currently set to expire at 3PM PDT Monday, however, conditions will be re-evaluated for possible extension of the Warning in subsequent forecasts, given the potential for gusty winds to continue into Monday night. Elsewhere across the region, gusty northwest to north winds are expected to continue through Monday, peaking in intensity tonight with a secondary peak Sunday night into early Monday. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph will be common at times through the period for the Central Coast, mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and northwest LA County as well as the Antelope Valley (strongest in the mountains and deserts). Isolated gusts to 65 mph will be likely in the strongest periods of wind across western the Santa Ynez Range and adjacent western Santa Barbara County South Coast, primarily in the evening and overnight hours in conjunction with Sundowner wind enhancements and nocturnal drainage processes. Meanwhile, a warm and dry air mass will remain in place, with widespread 8 to 15 percent humidities across the interior today, and 12 to 20 percent on Monday. Poor overnight recoveries in the foothills are also expected. The warm and dry air will continue to descend into some coastal foothills on Sunday, including portions of southern Santa Barbara County. The combination of gusty winds, warm temperatures, and low humidities will continue to bring elevated to brief critical fire weather conditions across southern Santa Barbara county through Sunday night, and all interior areas through Monday. There is an increased risk for fast-growing grass fires over much of the area, that could transition into wildfires where the fuel beds are most abundant and dry. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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CA...Beach Hazards Statement in effect through Monday evening for zones 87-340-346-362-366. (See LAXCFWLOX). Wind Advisory remains in effect until 11 AM PDT this morning for zone 88. (See LAXNPWLOX). Wind Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM PDT this evening for zones 340-341-346-347. (See LAXNPWLOX). High Wind Warning remains in effect until 11 AM PDT Monday for zones 349-351-376>378-381. (See LAXNPWLOX). Heat Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM PDT this evening for zones 349>352. (See LAXNPWLOX). High Wind Warning remains in effect until 11 AM PDT this morning for zones 350-352. (See LAXNPWLOX). Wind Advisory in effect until 11 AM PDT Monday for zone 353. (See LAXNPWLOX). High Surf Advisory in effect until 7 PM PDT Monday for zone 354. (See LAXCFWLOX). Wind Advisory remains in effect until 3 AM PDT Monday for zones 356-383. (See LAXNPWLOX). Red Flag Warning in effect until 3 PM PDT Monday for zones 376>378. (See LAXRFWLOX). PZ...Gale Warning in effect until 2 AM PDT Monday for zones 645-650. (See LAXMWWLOX). Gale Warning in effect until 7 PM PDT Monday for zones 670-673-676. (See LAXMWWLOX).
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&& $$ PUBLIC...Cohen/DB AVIATION...Sirard MARINE...RAT/Sirard BEACHES...RAT/Cohen/Sirard FIRE...Cohen/Gomberg SYNOPSIS...DB weather.gov/losangeles Experimental Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook at: https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=lox