Weather forecast for Tuesday May 24

May 24, 2011

By JOHN LINDSEY from PG&E

A 1,030-millibar Eastern Pacific High is about 700 miles to the west of San Luis Obispo  while a 1,001-millibar thermal low is currently over the desert southwest.

This condition will produce strong to gale-force (25- to 38-mph) northwesterly winds along the coastline today.

Today’s temperatures will range from the high 50s along the northwesterly (Los Osos and Morro Bay) facing beaches to the high 60s along the southwesterly (Avila Beach and Cayucos) facing beaches and coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo). The North County (Paso Robles) will reach low to mid-70s.

A strong late season cold front will move in from the Pacific and will produce rain as far south as Monterey Bay on Wednesday. However, The Central Coast will only see partly cloudy skies and night and morning marine low clouds and fog.

The main effect of this cold front will be to produce another round of strong to gale force (25- and 38-mph) northwesterly winds on Thursday and Friday. Thursday should also be partly cloudy with warmer afternoon temperatures and Friday should be similar with slightly cooler temperatures near the coast.

The northwesterly (onshore) winds will further increase to moderate gale- to fresh gale-force (32-mph to 46-mph) levels on Saturday through Sunday.

Dry and windy weather will continue into Memorial Day with temperatures across the Central Coast continuing to remain below normal.

Yesterday’s         Today’s          Tomorrow’s
Min    Max        Min    Max         Min     Max
50.4°   55.2°     49.7°   56.0°      52.0°    59.0°

PG&E San Francisco Met Office predicted temps:    Friday

Inland Temperatures, Paso Robles

Actual                    Predicted

Mon               Tue           Wed           Thu           Fri           Sat           Sun           Mon
44 75            42 75         46 78         44 76         48 80         52 79        49 76        45 79

Coastal Valleys Temperatures, San Luis Obispo

Mon             Tue           Wed           Thu           Fri           Sat           Sun           Mon
45 63           44 68         45 66         50 70         49 75         49 72        47 73         48 74

SEA/SWELL:

This morning’s 6- to 8-foot northwesterly (310-degree deep-water) sea and swell (with a 7- to 15-second period) will decrease to 5- to 7-feet (with a 7- to 13-second period) this afternoon through tonight. This northwesterly sea and swell will further lower to 3- to 5-feet Wednesday and will remain at this height through Thursday morning.

Another round of increasing northwesterly winds will generate a 6- to 8-foot northwesterly (300-degree deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 15-second period) on Thursday afternoon and will remain at this height but with a gradually shorter period through Saturday.

A 7- to 9-foot northwesterly (310-degree deep-water) sea and swell (with a 7- to 14-second period) is forecast along our coastline on Sunday through Monday.

Arriving from the Southern Hemisphere:

Today’s 2- to 3-foot Southern Hemisphere (190-degree deep-water) swell (with a 14- to 16-second period) will gradually decrease on Wednesday.

Another long-period Southern Hemisphere (185-degree deep-water) swell is expected to arrive along our coastline next Tuesday at 2- to 4-feet (with a 19- to 21-second period), increasing to 3- to 5-feet (with an 18- to 20-second period) next Wednesday.

WINDS:

Strong to gale force (25- to 38-mph) northwesterly winds are forecast along our coastline later today.

Gentle to moderate (8- to 18-mph) northwesterly winds will develop on Wednesday morning, increasing to moderate to fresh (13- to 24-mph) levels on Wednesday afternoon. These winds will decrease to gentle to moderate (8- to 18-mph) levels on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Another round of strong to gale force (25- and 38-mph) northwesterly winds are forecast on Thursday afternoon through Friday, increasing to moderate gale to fresh gale force (32- to 46-mph) levels on Saturday through Sunday.

DIABLO CANYON METEOROLOGICAL TOWER WIND DATA:

Today’s winds:

Max peak winds:      NW       14.8 mph at    3:00 a.m.
Max sustained wind:  NW       11.9 mph at    3:00 a.m.

Yesterday’s Maximum Winds:

Max peak winds:      NW       43.8 mph at    6:15 p.m.
Max sustained wind:  NW       35.3 mph at    6:15 p.m.

SEAWATER TEMPERATURES:

The Diablo Canyon waverider buoy is reporting a sea surface temperature of 50.9 degrees. The Nortek AWAC current meter is not reporting this morning.

Seawater temperatures will range between 48- to 51-degrees through Sunday.

OCEAN CURRENTS:

Today’s southerly (offshore) flowing current will continue to flow southward through Sunday.

SEAWATER VISIBILITY:

Seawater visibility was 15- to 17-feet at the Diablo Canyon Intake.

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24-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for  Tuesday 05/24 to Wednesday 05/25

Sea/Swell       DIR. NW      HT.   6-8   PER.   7-15  This morning
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   5-7   PER.   7-14  This afternoon
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   5-6   PER.   7-13  Tonight

(Combined with:  DIR. S       HT.   2-3   PER.  14-16  All day)

WINDS:          DIR. NW      SPEED 15-20              This morning
Increasing to:  DIR. NW      SPEED 25-30 + 35         This afternoon
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      SPEED 15-20              Tonight
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48-Hour Ocean Condition Outlook for Wednesday 05/25 to Thursday 05/26

Sea/Swell       DIR. NW      HT.   4-6   PER.   7-13  Wednesday morning
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      HT.   3-5   PER.   7-12  Wednesday afternoon
Remaining  at:  DIR. NW      HT.   3-5   PER.   7-12  Wednesday night

(Combined with:  DIR. S       HT.   1-3   PER.  13-15  All day Wednesday)

WINDS:          DIR. NW      SPEED  5-10              Wednesday morning
Increasing to:  DIR. NW      SPEED 15-20 + 25         Wednesday afternoon
Decreasing to:  DIR. NW      SPEED 10-15              Wednesday night
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Extended Ocean Condition Outlook:

Increasing northwesterly winds are forecast on Thursday afternoon through Sunday.

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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
05    17    1012     6.9       11            278          54.5
05    18    1942     7.0       20            206          55.0
05    19    1312     5.9       18            209          53.4
05    20    1412     6.6       15            199          54.5
05    21    1842     6.8        8            288          52.7
05    22    1942     8.4        9            286          51.8
05    23    0542     7.7       10            286          50.9
05    24    0112     6.3       15            253          50.9

(cm) (sec)  22+   20    17    15    13     11    9    7
———————————————————————
05 17  1012  211    9     2     5     3    13   190   728   818  578
05 18  1942  213    7    10   260    30    10    44   154   855  866
05 19  1312  180    9     4   116   202    16    22   245   566  372
05 20  1412  202    4     5    47   235   495   389   202   292  557
05 21  1842  208    7     5    13    58   286   128    63   328 1182
05 22  1942  255    9     3    19    11    50   150   493  1387 1151
05 23  0542  236    9     3    40    61    70   133   650  1012  922
05 24  0112  191    7     3    12    68   310   153   138   464  422

Daily Swell Inspection Program

NAME                      DAY   TIME    HEIGHT   PERIOD     SST
(PST)   (FEET)  (SECONDS) (DEG. F)
# 166  Ocean Station Papa      24    0002      12        9       44.2
# 06   SE Papa                 24    0150       9        7       55.0
# 59   California Buoy         24    0150       7       13       55.1
# 01   Point Reyes Waverider   24    0146      11       14       49.8
# 15   Monterey Waverider Buoy 24    0150       7        9       51.1
# 28   Cape San Martin, Ca     24    0150      10       14       55.0
# 50   DCPP Waverider Buoy, Ca 24    0112       6       15       51.1
# 63   Harvest Buoy            24    0120      11       15       51.6
# 01   NW Hawaii               24    0150       7        9       77.5

* 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): 26.81 inches
Average season rainfall at DCPP to date:           24.37 inches

Ocean Lab Barometer:   30.08 in/Hg or 1018.6 mb  -0.9 mb (Falling)
Sunrise and Sunset

Today’s         Sunrise 5:53 AM      Sunset 8:07  PM
Tomorrow’s      Sunrise 5:52 AM      Sunset 8:07  PM

Tides:
Low Tide                 High Tide
AM          PM           AM          PM
24 Tuesday    10:44  0.5   11:59  2.1    3:47 3.7    5:53  4.2
25 Wednesday  11:31  0.9   —–  —    5:08 3.4    6:30  4.5
26 Thursday    1:02  1.6   12:14  1.2    6:28 3.2    7:01  4.7
27 Friday      1:52  1.1   12:53  1.5    7:38 3.1    7:30  4.9
28 Saturday    2:33  0.6    1:29  1.8    8:38 3.2    7:58  5.2
29 Sunday      3:10  0.2    2:03  2.0    9:29 3.3    8:26  5.4
30 Monday      3:45 -0.2    2:37  2.2   10:14 3.4    8:56  5.6
31 Tuesday     4:19 -0.5    3:11  2.3   10:57 3.4    9:28  5.7
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This day in weather history

1894 – Six inches of snow blanketed Kentucky. Just four days earlier as much as ten inches of snow had fallen across Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Six days earlier a violent storm had wrecked nine ships on Lake Michigan. (David Ludlum)

1930 – A tornado touched down near the town of Pratt, KS, and traveled at the incredibly slow speed of just 5 mph. (David Ludlum)

1940 – Hail fell near Ada OK to a depth of six to eight inches, and rainfall runoff left drifts of hail up to five feet high.

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