Weather forecast for Thursday February 17
February 17, 2011
By JOHN LINDSEY from PG&E
SEA SWELL:
This morning’s northwesterly swell peaked at 11.7 feet with a 14 second period at the Diablo Canyon waverider buoy.
This morning’s 11- to 13 foot northwesterly (300-degree deep-water) swell (with a 13- to 15-second period) will gradually decrease to 8- to 10 feet by tonight.
Combined with this northwesterly swell will be 3- to 5-foot southerly (190-degree shallow-water) seas today, increasing to 5- to 7-feet on Friday.
Note: A 6.2 foot high tide occurred at 8:37 this morning.
An 8- to 10-foot west-northwesterly (295-degree deep-water) swell (with an 11- to 13-second period) is forecast along our coastline on Friday and will decrease to 7- to 9-feet (with an
11- to 14-second period) on Saturday into Sunday.
This west-northwesterly (295-degree deep-water) swell will further lower to 4- to 6-feet on Monday. However, increasing southerly seas will develop later on Monday into Tuesday.
An 8- to 10-foot northwesterly (300-degree deep-water) swell (with an 11- to 13-second period) is forecast along our coastline Tuesday and will remain at this height and period
through next Friday.
PG&E San Francisco Met Office predicted temps:
Inland Temperatures, Paso Robles
Actual Predicted
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu
50-56 35-53 40-52 35-51 32-54 32-52 35-53 34-55 32-55
Coastal Valleys Temperatures, San Luis Obispo
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu
50-57 42-55 42-54 37-54 34-58 35-56 37-59 39-59 37-59
WINDS:
This morning’s moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) southeasterly winds will increase to strong to gale (25 to 38 mph) levels by this evening into Friday morning.
These winds will decrease and shift out of the southwest on on Friday afternoon through Friday night.
Moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) northwesterly winds are forecast over the weekend.
Increasing southerly winds are forecast on Monday through Tuesday.
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION:
Yesterday’s rain totals as of 5 p.m.:
Arroyo Grande ………………………… 0.77″
Atascadero, Heilmann Regional Park ……… 0.59″
Atascadero, Micky’s Home ………………. 0.67″
Atascadero, NW Side …………………… 0.79″
Baywood Park …………………………. 0.45″
Black Mountain ……………………….. 0.60″
Camp Roberts …………………………. 0.16″
Camp San Luis ……………………….. 0.91″
Cambria ……………………………… 0.51″
Cottontail Creek near Cayucos…………… 1.20″
Condor Lookout Los Padres National Forest .. 0.91″
Creston at Rich’s Home ………………… 0.30″
Davis Peak, north of Avila Beach………… 0.79″
Diablo Canyon ………………………… 0.41″
Hog Canyon near Paso Robles ……………. 0.24″
Islay Hill, San Luis Obispo ……………. 0.68″
Las Tablas Fire Station ……………….. 1.38″
Los Osos George’s Home ………………… 0.47″
Morro Bay ……………………………. 0.36″
Nipomo ………………………………. 0.43″
Oak Shores at Jim’s House ……………… 1.00″
Oceano ………………………………. 0.43″
Paul’s House (41 West & Toro Creek) …….. 1.12″
Paso Robles Airport …………………… 0.26″
PG&E Energy Education Center …………… 0.45″
Rocky Butte ………………………….. 2.00″
Shell Beach Daniels in Sunset Palisades …. 0.49″
Santa Margarita Fire Department ………… 0.81″
Santa Margarita ………………………. 1.32″
San Luis Obispo Water Reclamation Facility . 0.83″
Santa Maria Public Airport …………….. 0.31″
San Luis Obispo County Airport …………. 0.61″
Shandon, CDF Yard …………………….. 0.24″
SLOWeather.com ……………………….. 1.27″
Templeton ……………………………. 0.55″
Three Peaks ………………………….. 2.68″
Scattered rain showers and moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) southeasterly winds will continue through this afternoon. Temperatures the next several days will be on the cool side,
with maximum readings only in the 40’s to low 50’s and minimums in the 30’s and low 40’s.
Heavy snow will fall across Sierra through Saturday with snow levels near 3,000 feet north – 4,500 feet south.
Energetic upper-level winds caused cyclogenesis about 200 miles west of Cape Mendocino this morning. This surface low will intensify to 1,003 millibars and move south-southeastward towards the Central Coast. The associated cold front will pivot southward along our coastline tonight into Friday and will produce strong to gale force (25 and 38 mph) southerly winds and periods of moderate to heavy rain tonight into Friday.
Rain will turn to showers by Saturday morning, ending by Saturday afternoon as the front finally moves into Southern California.
Rainfall totals from this system should range between 1 and 1.5 inches in the North County (Paso Robles), 1.5 and 2.5 inches in the coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo) and along the beaches and 2.5 and 5.0 inches along the coastal mountains due to oragraphic enhancement.
A break in the weather is forecast on Saturday afternoon through Monday afternoon. Then another cold Gulf of Alaska weather system will drop southward across the Central Coast
Monday night into Tuesday with another round of gale force southerly winds, moderate rain and low snow levels. However, this low pressure system cloud track further out to
sea and miss the region entirely.
Cool and dry weather is forecast for the rest of next week.
DIABLO CANYON AIR TEMPERATURES:
Diablo Canyon Meteorological Tower Air Temperature Data
Yesterday’s Today’s Tomorrow’s
Min Max Min Max Min Max
50.8° 53.7° 47.1° 52.0° 47.0 53.0
DIABLO CANYON METEOROLOGICAL TOWER WIND DATA:
Today’s winds:
Max peak winds: SE 27.9 mph at 7:45 a.m.
Max sustained wind: SE 23.0 mph at 7:45 a.m.
Yesterday’s Maximum Winds:
Max peak winds: SE 36.5 mph at 5:45 a.m.
Max sustained wind: SE 24.4 mph at 5:45 a.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 54.2 degrees.
Intake seawater temperatures will range between 53- and 55 -degrees through Sunday.
OCEAN CURRENTS:
Both the DCPP Cal Poly CODAR stations and the DCPP Nortek AWAC meter are indicating a northerly (onshore) flowing current.
A northerly (onshore) flowing current will continue to flow northward through Friday, becoming a southerly (offshore) flowing current on Saturday and Sunday.
SEAWATER VISIBILITY:
Seawater visibility was 2 to 3 feet at the Diablo Canyon Intake.
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24-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for Thursday 02/17 to Friday 02/18
Sea/Swell DIR. NW HT. 11-13 PER. 13-15 This morning
Decreasing to: DIR. NW HT. 10-12 PER. 13-15 This afternoon
Decreasing to: DIR. NW HT. 8-10 PER. 12-14 Tonight
(Combined with: DIR. S HT. 3-5 PER. 4-6 today)
WINDS: DIR. SE SPEED 15-20 + 25 This morning
Increasing to: DIR. SE SPEED 20-25 + 30 This afternoon
Increasing to: DIR. SE SPEED 30-35 + 40 Tonight
===========================================================================
48-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for Friday 02/18 to Saturday 02/19
Sea/Swell DIR. WNW HT. 8-10 PER. 11-13 Friday morning
Decreasing to: DIR. WNW HT. 8-10 PER. 11-13 Friday afternoon
Decreasing to: DIR. WNW HT. 8-10 PER. 11-13 Friday night
(Combined with: DIR. S HT. 5-7 PER. 4-6 All day Friday)
WINDS: DIR. SE SPEED 30-35 + 40 Friday morning
Decreasing to: DIR. SW SPEED 20-25 + 35 Friday afternoon
Decreasing to: DIR. SW SPEED 15-20 + 25 Friday night
===========================================================================
Extended Ocean Condition Outlook:
An 8- to 10-foot northwesterly (300-degree deep-water) swell (with an 11- to 13-second period) is forecast along our castline Tuesday and will remain at this height and period through next Friday.
===========================================================================
The 24 – Hour Ocean Data From The Diablo Canyon Wave rider Buoy
MONTH DAY TIME SIG.HEIGHT PERIOD SWELL DIRECTION SST
02 10 0413 4.4 17 261 53.2
02 11 1443 4.2 13 268 60.8
02 12 1243 3.0 12 261 60.1
02 13 1943 5.2 14 258 55.8
02 14 0813 3.9 13 263 54.5
02 15 0413 8.2 12 268 53.8
02 16 0513 9.1 11 279 54.0
02 17 0243 11.7 14 268 54.0
02 17 0543 10.2 14 274 54.0
(cm) (sec) 22+ 20 17 15 13 11 9 7
———————————————————————–
02 10 0413 133 17 5 46 258 87 70 254 126 135
02 11 1443 128 13 2 16 98 188 432 127 31 54
02 12 1143 100 11 1 6 47 154 102 193 67 42
02 13 1943 159 13 2 4 19 392 515 454 119 52
02 14 0813 120 13 2 5 17 98 295 203 100 139
02 15 0413 251 11 3 7 11 210 1042 1076 885 284
02 16 0513 278 4 4 18 25 253 794 1129 828 1237
02 17 0243 356 13 10 72 418 1588 1771 1312 1214 572
02 17 0543 312 13 10 79 331 1122 1127 1032 1087 570
Daily Swell Inspection Program
NAME DAY TIME HEIGHT PERIOD SST
(PST) (FEET) (SECONDS) (DEG. F)
# 166 Ocean Station Papa 17 0402 18 13 42.4
# 06 SE Papa 17 0550 12 11 53.6
# 59 California Buoy 17 0550 15 14 54.9
# 01 Point Reyes Waverider 17 0546 12 14 51.4
# 15 Monterey Waverider Buoy 17 0550 10 15 52.9
# 28 Cape San Martin, Ca 17 0550 13 15 54.3
# 50 DCPP Waverider Buoy, Ca 17 0543 10 14 54.0
# 63 Harvest Buoy 17 0520 15 13 54.7
# 01 NW Hawaii 17 0550 9 8 73.6
* 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 0.02 inches
Monday 1500 through Tuesday 1500 0.02 inches
Tuesday 1500 through Wednesday 1500 0.41 inches
Wednesday 1500 through Thursday 1500 0.05 inches
Precipitation this rain season (July 1 – June 30): 18.18 inches
Average season rainfall at DIP to date: 15.93 inches
Ocean Lab Barometer: 29.94 in/Hg or 1013.9 mb -1.7 mb ( Falling )
Sunrise and Sunset
Today’s Sunrise 6:47 AM Sunset 5:47 PM
Tomorrow’s Sunrise 6:46 AM Sunset 5:48 PM
Tides:
Low Tide High Tide
AM PM AM PM
17 Thursday 2:30 1.6 3:31 -1.0 8:37 6.2 9:53 4.7
18 Friday 3:20 1.2 4:06 -0.8 9:25 6.1 10:27 5.1
19 Saturday 4:12 0.8 4:42 -0.4 10:15 5.7 11:03 5.4
20 Sunday 5:07 0.5 5:19 0.2 11:08 5.1 11:43 5.6
21 Monday 6:06 0.4 5:58 0.8 —– — 12:07 4.5
22 Tuesday 7:13 0.4 6:40 1.5 12:26 5.7 1:17 3.8
23 Wednesday 8:29 0.4 7:30 2.1 1:15 5.6 2:47 3.3
24 Thursday 9:54 0.3 8:40 2.5 2:14 5.5 4:40 3.1
25 Friday 11:15 0.1 10:15 2.7 3:24 5.3 6:18 3.3
26 Saturday (12:21 -0.2) 11:41 2.6 4:40 5.2 7:19 3.6
27 Sunday —– — 1:14 -0.3 5:48 5.3 8:01 3.9
28 Monday 12:46 2.4 1:56 -0.4 6:45 5.3 8:33 4.0
1 Tuesday 1:35 2.1 2:32 -0.3 7:33 5.3 9:01 4.2
=========================================================================
This day in weather history
1930 – Eureka, CA, reported an all-time record high of 85 degrees, a record which lasted until September of 1983.
1936 – The temperature at McIntosh SD plunged to 58 degrees below zero to establish a state record. (David Ludlum)
1990 – The biggest winter storm of the season hit the Pacific Coast Region. In northern California, snow fell along the coast, and two day totals in the mountains ranged up to 67 inches
at Echo Summit. Snowfall totals in the mountains of southern California ranged up to 48 inches at Green Valley, with 46 inches reported at Big Bear. Up to two feet of snow
blanketed the southern Cascade Mountains of Oregon, and 20 to 35 inches were reported in the northern Cascades of Oregon. Up to ten inches of snow blanketed Seattle WA.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
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