We're Used To Warm Weather Fog, But Why All Of This Wind?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Why is it so windy? - Karen Edwards, San Mateo
A: What a difference a day makes!
No matter where you are in the Bay Area, you can actually FEEL the difference in our weather today. We have so many different elements happening! Let's begin with the wind.
A tight "pressure gradient" along the coast resulted in breezy and gusty winds this morning over many coastal areas. Wind gusts were reported in Marin County at 45 mph, along the San Mateo coast and as far south as Monterey County. I observed reports of winds to 39 mph at the Altamont Pass and 37 mph at Buchanan Field. The gusty winds will be localized throughout the afternoon, primarily SW 5 to 15 mph with an occasion gust.
Now the "mugginess". Higher humidity today is all associated with remnants from a Tropical Storm Blanca. And the clouds! The high white veil of clouds (cirrostratus) are anywhere from 19,000 feet to 39,000 feet high in the sky, again, all associated from the Tropical Storm too! This is exciting stuff!
Next, we have the marine layer. That big beautiful squashed deck of fog rolling onshore with the most welcomed cooler air mass and areas of drizzle! After a record high of 109 in Gilroy on Monday, today's inland highs will tumble out of the triple digits and top off in the low 90s. This is a huge sigh of relief for the 5 million people all trying to beat the heat under a Heat Advisory yesterday!
Finally, as the clouds increase throughout the afternoon, there is a chance of thunderstorms, especially across Monterey and San Benito counties. I cannot rule out the possibility of an evening thunderstorm here in the Bay Area. This is really a forecast that bears watching and could be updated at any point of the day.
Admittedly, I LOVE a good thunderstorm! But with our ongoing drought and extremely dry conditions, the last thing Northern California needs is a lightning strike sparking a wildfire.
I will keep my eyes of the sky today and please remember, for updated weather information on the go, it's cbssf.com/weather.
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
