2017 California/Southwest Weather Thread

[Guest happ]

Saved by the sea breeze. When nearby temps were breaking 90° a cooling westerly kicked in today. Can hardly wait for some 60's that are forecast for Sunday/ Monday. With the upper low sitting over California, we will see a break in the grip of high pressure that has basically controlled the weather for several months.

 

88/ 62

[Anti Marine Layer]

105 in Palm Springs today. That is quite toasty.

 

Looks like big changes for the weekend as May can have roller coaster weather here. I think in 2008 Palm Springs went from a high of 113 F to 69 F within a few days, but would need to verify.

[Black Hole]

I've been in torrence since Saturday. Sunny and pleasant every day so far! I leave on Saturday.

[Guest happ]

This may be optimistic but May showers are not that uncommon.

 

[Guest happ]

Waiting on a very promising trough.

 

Wednesday: 88/ 63

[Anti Marine Layer]

Winter returns this weekend, but not at all unusual for May. Sunday could be the coldest day since mid-March. Spring is typically defined as when the weather cannot decide if it is summer or winter.

 

Hope to get some thunderstorms and rain and not just a boring May Gray pattern.

[Anti Marine Layer]

There is definitely a marine push happening right now with a steady cool breeze in Irvine.

[Guest happ]

Yes, much cooler this evening than it has been for the last 9 days and a foretaste of things to come. This morning there was a little stratus around sunrise for the first time in quite a while. Now if we can score some rainfall.

 

86/ 61

[Dan the Weatherman]

I could definitely feel a change to a more marine air mass tonight as the winds were out of the SE. In recent nights, a breeze has been blowing out of the NE here in Orange, which is more common in fall and winter, especially with an offshore or neutral flow. It is now overcast for the first time in quite a while, but it came in within the last hour or two because it was clear earlier this evening.

[Guest happ]

NWS_LA is not only forecasting scattered rainfall but also possible record daily 24-hour totals that, to be honest, are pretty meager [under 0.20 for many areas].  The temp drop across the Southwest should be quite dramatic. Swain mentions the "wavenumber 6" atmospheric pattern in his blog as a potential for longer-term trough position. Perhaps unrelated but the last 2 years have produced the coolest average maximums for May in more than 2 decades and 0.92 inches of rain [2015]. A warm/ dry spring can turn into a pseudo-winter.

 

Current SST. Can these temps help improve convection?

 

S. MONICA BASIN           64  340/  6/  8 1012.9R         3/180/15
S PEDRO CHANNEL       63                N/A           2/200/14
CMP PENDLETON NS     66                N/A           3/220/15
OCEANSIDE OFFSHR     65                N/A           3/200/15
TORREY PINES OTR       65                N/A           3/200/15
POINT LOMA SOUTH       65                N/A           3/200/15
 
 

[Anti Marine Layer]

A typical May Gray morning. Orange County cleared out but clouds refuse to budge in San Diego coastal areas.

[Anti Marine Layer]

MUCH cooler day today, but still got decent afternoon sunshine here. I can see that Happ would like us to have a cool May. It's amazing how at least 50% of Southern Californians do not like our warm and usually sunny climate.

[Jesse]

MUCH cooler day today, but still got decent afternoon sunshine here. I can see that Happ would like us to have a cool May. It's amazing how at least 50% of Southern Californians do not like our warm and usually sunny climate.

I've always found the fact that there are different opinions to be profoundly shocking.

[Guest happ]

MUCH cooler day today, but still got decent afternoon sunshine here. I can see that Happ would like us to have a cool May. It's amazing how at least 50% of Southern Californians do not like our warm and usually sunny climate.

 

Some of it is just plain economics. Though tempted I kept the AC off during the past heatwave but have been irrigating gardens due to bone-dry conditions/ wind. This spring hasn't produced too many really hot temps [only low 90's] but the length of prolonged warmth reminds of recent long fire seasons. The marine layer is like an old friend you haven't seen in a long time

 

78/ 58

[Dan the Weatherman]

MUCH cooler day today, but still got decent afternoon sunshine here. I can see that Happ would like us to have a cool May. It's amazing how at least 50% of Southern Californians do not like our warm and usually sunny climate.

 

We get plenty of hot weather here in Socal from late June/ early July into October and occasionally during other times of the year as well. So it is nice to have cool weather in the spring and even some occasional rain at times since we have such a long dry season with little action in the weather.

[Dan the Weatherman]

Some of it is just plain economics. Though tempted I kept the AC off during the past heatwave but have been irrigating gardens due to bone-dry conditions/ wind. This spring hasn't produced too many really hot temps [only low 90's] but the length of prolonged warmth reminds of recent long fire seasons. The marine layer is like an old friend you haven't seen in a long time

 

78/ 58

That's true, we haven't had the extreme spikes in temps as of yet of what I have been fearing with a rainy season that ended early, but it has been quite warm nonetheless. If we can manage to get at least a couple of rain events or one really significant one (this next storm could be significant in some areas) in May, then this season would no longer be considered a season in which the rains ended early. In the 8-14 Day Outlook, the northern 2/3rds of CA are in the above normal precip category, while Socal is in the near normal category. We will just have to see if we get any more storms later this month.

[Anti Marine Layer]

http://www.speeli.com/articles/view/Why-do-some-people-love-rainy-and-dark-weather

[Anti Marine Layer]

I like how Los Angeles NOAA keeps saying temperatures will be only several degrees below normal while San Diego keeps saying 25-35 degrees below normal for Sunday.

 

Anyway such a low snow level (4000 ft.) would normally destroy the marine layer inversion or at least break up the clouds into partly cloudy, but the real low does not arrive until tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what happens as NWS Phoenix said some marine layer moisture could reach the deserts.

[Guest happ]

1200

SAN RAFAEL HI   N/A     53  53 100 E7G21       N/A        

[Anti Marine Layer]

1200

SAN RAFAEL HI   N/A     53  53 100 E7G21       N/A

 

Is it completely fogged in?

[Anti Marine Layer]

Better picture

[Anti Marine Layer]

It's been an awfully quiet day here considering the trough you've been waiting for all week long has finally arrived. Must be out enjoying it.

 

Hopefully some more exciting weather tomorrow with some heavy downpours and thunderstorms. Also, could be a little less windy too.

[Anti Marine Layer]

It has been raining all night here and nobody else has anything to say.

[Guest happ]

The rain shadow effect of the transverse ranges [Tehachapi] has limited rainfall for Los Angeles county w/ only 0.17 so far here but w/ clear skies and an unstable atmosphere there is a good chance of thunderstorms. Currently it is raining in Ventura county so perhaps it will do the same in LA later this morning. Nothing like what San Diego county is getting but any rain is a gift this time of the year.  

 

Saturday: 64/ 51

[Guest happ]

The cold core of the low has been right overhead w/ circulating moisture over Lake Elsinore. I recorded 49 [coldest morning since 3/ 7]. Phoenix/ Vegas loving the cool down.  

 

 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I see the Dodgers @ Padres game was rained out today. Only the 2nd rainout since 2006 at Petco. 

[Anti Marine Layer]

The cold core of the low has been right overhead w/ circulating moisture over Lake Elsinore. I recorded 49 [coldest morning since 3/ 7]. Phoenix/ Vegas loving the cool down.  

 

You should have driven down to southern Orange County or San Diego to enjoy the rain.

[Guest happ]

Frazier Park [ele. 4600'] this morning [above the Grapevine] courtesy Allissa Carlson  

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

Just took a walk and the sun was out and it was cool and windy, but the air had that nice refreshing after rain smell. Much better than an overcast day where all you get is some morning drizzle.

 

Saddleback Mountain was covered in clouds at the top, so couldn't tell if there was any snow up there, but there should be at least something.

[Guest happ]

Nice shot of LA this afternoon; hearing thunder right now.

 

63/ 49

 

Courtesy Jockman/ WeatherWest 

 

 

[Front Ranger]

Is that pic taken from the Hollywood Hills?

[Black Hole]

Nice pictures! I just drove back to Utah from Torrence yesterday. It was drizzly at the time.

 

There were some great storms down there today with my friends reporting hail in Chino Hills. 

[Guest happ]

Is that pic taken from the Hollywood Hills?

 

Don't know exactly but looking at downtown from that angle suggests it is the Hollywood Hills area. Rainfall amounts are quite variable since nearly all is due to convection. The storm cell in the photo only produced 0.09 here/ some lightning for a day total of 0.26. Parts of San Diego county reported close to 2 inches. Now we've got a taste of rain again and want more!  And who knows, considering the long-range models.

[Guest happ]

Looks like a tornado but is a dust devil in Mojave desert today near Victorville

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

From NWS Phoenix Discussion

 

Meanwhile, high temperature in Phoenix only reached 74 degrees today, marking the largest 48-hour swing (from a high of 108 degrees Friday) ever recorded in the  month of May. 

[Anti Marine Layer]

Here's how it was in the desert yesterday.

 

12 pm - Nice warm 84 F degree day and a light breeze

1 pm - 85 F, but suddenly it has gotten very windy

5 pm - 73 F, blowing like crazy and starting to feel a little bit chilly, especially considering it was 103 F at this time just 24 hours ago

9 pm - 61 F, winds up to 60 mph, and feels really cold

 

[Guest happ]

Could be a repeat of another trough next weekend plus the tropical Pacific is getting active early!  

 

76/ 50

 

 

[Dan the Weatherman]

Could be a repeat of another trough next weekend plus the tropical Pacific is getting active early!  

 

76/ 50

 

That could be an interesting setup if everything can come together just right!

[Dan the Weatherman]

I was in Temecula yesterday for the day from about noon until after 10 p.m. It was raining light to moderate for much of the time until sometime in the evening, when it stopped. I could hear the rain on the roof / skylights while I was in an antique store in the mid to late afternoon, which may have been heavier rain for a time. I was at Pechanga in the evening, and it was during that time in which the rain stopped. It certainly felt like a winter day yesterday and I was enjoying the late season rainfall. I am really hoping that we get some rain later this month like we did back in May 2015!

[Dan the Weatherman]

0.30" fell here in Orange with this last storm. This is more rain than I received in March and April combined! It also fulfilled my prediction of the possibility of another storm after that strong Santa Ana wind we had about a week or two ago.