PG&E weather forecast for Tuesday February 1

February 1, 2011

By JOHN LINDSEY from PG&E

SEA SWELL:

Today’s 5 to 7-foot (295-degree deep-water) northwesterly swell (with an 11 to 13-second period) will decrease to 3 to 5-feet (with an 11- to 20-second period) on Wednesday.

A 5 to 7-foot westerly (275-degree deep-water) swell (with a13 to 15-second period) will arrive along the Central Coast on Thursday and will remain at this height but with a longer period on Friday.

A 4 to 6-foot west-northwesterly (285-degree deep-water) swell (with a 13 to 15-second period) is forecast along our coastline on Saturday, decreasing to 3 to 5-feet on Sunday through Monday.

Preliminary analysis:

A large storm is forecast to develop off the Kamchatka Peninsula next Tuesday and Wednesday. Long-period west-northwesterly swell from this storm is expected to arrive along our coastline on February 14.

PG&E San Francisco Met Office predicted temps:

Inland Temperatures, Paso Robles

Actual                    Predicted

Mon          Tue        Wed        Thu        Fri         Sat         Sun         Mon        Tue
41-61     39-61      31-60   29-63    30-69   32-73   35-73   37-70    37-72

Coastal Valleys Temperatures, San Luis Obispo

Mon          Tue        Wed        Thu        Fri         Sat         Sun        Mon         Tue
42-62     39-64    40-64    35-67   38-74  42-76    44-75  45-73     42-71

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION:

Looking at today’s charts and models it’s difficult to imagine any type of precipitation over the next 7 to 10 days. However, a few the longer-range models are indicating rain by mid February.

Anyway, areas low clouds in the North County and along the north coast will clear by this afternoon. However, moderate to fresh (13 and 24 mph) northwesterly winds will produce a few areas of coastal low clouds along the northwesterly (Montaña de Oro, Los Osos and Morro Bay) facing beaches this afternoon through this evening.

A ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere combined with a stationary 1,031 millibar Eastern Pacific High about 500 miles west-northwest of San Luis Obispo will produce gusty northeasterly (offshore) winds, especially in the coastal canyons and passes, tonight into Wednesday. This condition will also give a strong Santa Ana wind event in Southern California on Wednesday.

Mostly clear and gradually warmer temperatures will continue through Sunday. The exception will be dense ground fog during the morning hours in the North County.

Temperatures will range from the low to mid 60s in the North County to the mid to high 60s in the coastal valleys. Overnight lows will be chilly, with areas in the North County dropping to the high 20s by Thursday. Low temperatures in the coastal valleys will drop to the high 30s.

Temperatures will gradually warm as the week progresses, reaching the high 70s and maybe even the low 80s in San Luis Obispo by this weekend.

A wet pattern may develop by mid February.

DIABLO CANYON AIR TEMPERATURES:

Diablo Canyon Meteorological Tower Air Temperature Data

Yesterday’s          Today’s          Tomorrow’s
Min    Max        Min    Max         Min     Max
48.7°   58.1°     49.6°   58.0°      49.0     60.0

WINDS:

Today’s moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) northwesterly winds will shift out of the east to northeast (offshore) tonight through Wednesday.

Gentle to moderate (8 to 18 mph) north to northeasterly (offshore) winds are forecast on Thursday through Monday.

DIABLO CANYON METEOROLOGICAL TOWER WIND DATA:

Today’s winds:

Max peak winds:      NW       20.4 mph at  10:30 a.m.
Max sustained wind:  NW       14.9 mph at  10:30 a.m.

Yesterday’s Maximum Winds:

Max peak winds:      NW       26.2 mph at   1:00 p.m.
Max sustained wind:  NW       21.6 mph at   1:00 p.m.

SEAWATER TEMPERATURES:

The Diablo Canyon waverider buoy is reporting a sea surface temperature of 54.0 degrees while the Nortek AWAC current meter is reporting 53.5 degrees.

Intake seawater temperatures will range between 53 and 55 -degrees through Friday.

OCEAN CURRENTS:

Both the DCPP Cal Poly CODAR stations and the DCPP Nortek AWAC meter are indicating a southerly (offshore) flowing current.

This southerly (offshore) flowing current will continue to flow southward through Friday.

SEAWATER VISIBILITY:

Seawater visibility was 6 to 8 feet at the Diablo Canyon Intake.

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24-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for Tuesday 02/01 to Wednesday 02/02

Swell           DIR. NW      HT.   6-8    PER. 11-13  This morning
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   5-7    PER. 11-13  This afternoon
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   4-6    PER. 11-13  Tonight

WINDS:          DIR. NW      SPEED 10-15              This morning
Increasing to:  DIR. NW      SPEED 15-20 + 25         This afternoon
Decreasing to:  DIR. NE      SPEED 10-15              Tonight
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48-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for Wednesday 02/02 to Thursday 02/03

Swell           DIR. NW      HT.   4-6    PER. 11-13  Wednesday morning
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   3-5    PER. 11-20  Wednesday afternoon
Remaining  at:  DIR. NW      HT.   3-5    PER. 11-18  Wednesday night

WINDS:          DIR. NE      SPEED 15-20 + 30         Wednesday morning
Decreasing to:  DIR. E       SPEED 10-15              Wednesday afternoon
Remaining  at:  DIR. NE      SPEED 10-15              Wednesday night
===========================================================================
Extended Ocean Condition Outlook:

Looking at today’s charts and models it’s difficult to imagine any type of precipitation over the next 7 to 10 days. However, a few the longer-range models are indicating rain by mid February.

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The 24 – Hour Ocean Data From The Diablo Canyon Wave rider Buoy

MONTH  DAY  TIME  SIG.HEIGHT   PERIOD   SWELL DIRECTION     SST
01    25    0543     5.1       14            267          53.4
01    26    0413     4.4       13            268          53.4
01    27    0513     6.7       15            268          53.6
01    28    0713     5.1       13            267          57.0
01    29    1543     4.9       12            267          56.3
01    30    1713    11.0       14            257          55.6
01    31    0343    10.2       12            274          54.5
02    01    0713     6.3       12            271          54.0

(cm) (sec)  22+   20    17    15    13     11    9    7
———————————————————————–
01 25  0543  156   13     3    20   101   378   536   249    61  127
01 26  0413  133   13     3    24    26   135   373   203   103  116
01 27  0513  205   15     6    43   247  1263   537   159   136  120
01 28  0713  156   13     2     6    30   343   541   217    89   33
01 29  1543  150   11     3     3    11    98   374   470   137  227
01 30  1713  336   13     9   185   329  1453  1749  1230   876  660
01 31  0343  312   11     6    24   223  1039  1292  1763   697  445
02 01  0713  191    7     2     3    21   188   225   369   430  416

Daily Swell Inspection Program

NAME                      DAY   TIME    HEIGHT   PERIOD     SST
(PST)   (FEET)  (SECONDS) (DEG. F)
# 166  Ocean Station Papa       1    0402      19       10       42.8
# 06   SE Papa                  1    0750      12       11       52.0
# 59   California Buoy          1    0750       6       13       54.5
# 01   Point Reyes Waverider    1    0746       9       13       51.8
# 15   Monterey Waverider Buoy  1    0750       6       13       54.5
# 28   Cape San Martin, Ca      1    0750       9       12       54.7
# 50   DCPP Waverider Buoy, Ca  1    0713       6       12       54.0
# 63   Harvest Buoy             1    0720       8       13       55.6
# 01   NW Hawaii                1    0750      11       12       74.3

* Note: Height (significant swell height) is the average height of the waves in the top third of the wave record. Maximum wave height may be up to TWICE the height in the data shown in the above table.

Precipitation at the Diablo Canyon Ocean Lab.

Sunday     1500 through Monday     1500   0.00 inches
Monday     1500 through Tuesday    1500   0.00 inches

Precipitation this rain season (July 1 – June 30): 17.67 inches
Average season rainfall at DIP to date:            12.79 inches

Ocean Lab Barometer:   30.13 in or 1020.4 mb  +0.6 mb (Rising)

Sunrise and Sunset

Today’s         Sunrise 7:02 AM      Sunset 5:31  PM
Tomorrow’s      Sunrise 7:01 AM      Sunset 5:32  PM

Tides:
Low Tide                 High Tide
AM          PM           AM          PM
1 Tuesday     2:19  2.3    3:32 -0.7    8:22 5.9   10:06  4.1
2 Wednesday   3:00  2.1    4:03 -0.6    9:00 5.8   10:33  4.2
3 Thursday    3:38  2.0    4:31 -0.3    9:36 5.6   11:00  4.3
4 Friday      4:16  1.9    4:58  0.0   10:11 5.3   11:26  4.4
5 Saturday    4:56  1.8    5:23  0.4   10:46 4.9   11:52  4.5
6 Sunday      5:38  1.8    5:48  0.8   11:24 4.4   —–  —
7 Monday      6:26  1.7    6:12  1.2   12:20 4.6   12:06  3.9
8 Tuesday     7:23  1.7    6:37  1.7   12:51 4.6   12:58  3.4
9 Wednesday   8:34  1.6    7:03  2.1    1:27 4.6    2:14  2.9
10 Thursday    9:58  1.4    7:36  2.5    2:11 4.7    4:19  2.7
11 Friday     11:16  1.0    8:46  2.7    3:07 4.8    6:31  2.8
12 Saturday  (12:16  0.5)  10:28  2.9    4:10 5.0    7:26  3.1
13 Sunday     (1:02  0.0)  11:46  2.7    5:13 5.3    7:57  3.4
14 Monday     —–  —    1:42 -0.5    6:09 5.6    8:24  3.7
15 Tuesday    12:46  2.4    2:19 -0.8    7:00 6.0    8:52  4.0
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This day in weather history

1893 – Thunder and lightning accompanied sleet and snow at Saint Louis MO during the evening hours, even though the temperature was just 13 degrees above zero.

1951 – The greatest ice storm of record in the U.S. produced glaze up to four inches thick from Texas to Pennsylvania causing twenty-five deaths, 500 serious injuries, and 100 million dollars damage. Tennessee was hardest hit by the storm. Communications and utilities were interrupted for a week to ten days.

1951 – The temperature at Taylor Park Dam plunged to 60 degrees below zero, a record for the state of Colorado.

1987 – A storm in the Pacific Northwest produced wind gusts to 100 mph at Cape Blanco OR, and up to six inches of rain in the northern coastal mountain ranges. (Storm Data)

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This weather forecast is a service provided by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to our energy customers. The forecast is valid only for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant coastline area (approximately a one-half mile radius surrounding the plant). Some of the information in this forecast is provided by Pacific Weather Analysis, with their permission.

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