Fog develops Monday morning, tracking Santa Ana winds through the holiday week
Its a foggy start to the new week with visibility below a quarter of a mile on some areas. Drive safely and allow extra space between you and other vehicles. Clouds will clear in an erratic way but most of the viewing area will turn mostly sunny by midday. Monday is the start of a warming trend and temperatures rise around 3-5 degrees from the weekend! A weak ridge of high pressure sets up off the west and over the Great Basin. With the system to the east being so strong, we will see our winds begin to transition to offshore flow, helping to warm temperatures and dry out the air. It may be a tempting day to head to the beach, but we still have a High Surf Advisory until 3am Tuesday. Waves are projected near 8-12FT and rip currents are dangerous even for experienced swimmers.
High pressure over the Great Basin shifts closer to the viewing area Tuesday. While some clouds and fog may be the main weather story tomorrow morning, by the evening Santa Ana winds develop. This brings warmer temperatures, dryer air and fire weather concerns. A Red Flag Warning begins in Ventura and Malibu counties and lasts through Thursday. Expect gusty winds and low humidity values. This is a typical and moderate wind event, so while its still imperative to practice fire safety, this system will be weak in comparison to the PDS Santa Ana's we saw in previous months. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for parts of Ventura and Oxnard through Thursday as well. Highs warm into the upper 60s and low 70s and skies turn mostly sunny by midday.
Offshore winds strengthen into Wednesday and Thursday. These will be some of the warmest days of the week. Depending on winds, we may see some clouds and fog each morning but rapid clearing by the afternoon. Winds will likely be up to advisory levels, make sure to travel safely heading out the door. We cool off a few degrees into the weekend, but still well above average. Enjoy the holiday week and practice fire safety!
