Allergy sufferers beware.  A tight pressure gradient spurred on by a ridge of high pressure parked over California, will lead to an offshore wind event later today  (Thursday) and in to Friday Mar. 19. The National Weather Service has not posted any wind advisories for our area but some sections of the Napa Hills and the Central Valley are in an advisory box. Predicted winds tonight will be around 11mph for the lower plains of SoCo with our mountainous areas receiving higher gusts.  With the offshore winds, it could get toasty this afternoon, perhaps an 80 degree reading is not out of the question.

The network of RAWS sites-Remote Automated Weather Stations-on the North Coast such as Hawkeye at the geysers have indicated the gradient tightening with wind gusts out of the north at 21mph and an RH of 21%.  Mt. Diablo, which is always in some type of weather extreme, recorded a 53mph gust out of the north at 8:17 this morning.

It’s pretty green out there so no fire warnings have been posted.

As Winter evolves to Spring, dry cold fronts push through California leaving in their wake offshore wind events.  These winds create a blow torch effect on the annual gasses which dry out at a fast pace.  In the highest elevations of the coastal foothills, drying is more pronounced.

The latest forecast from the Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day outlook indicates that our precipitation will be below normal and the temperatures above normal.  Does this bode an early summer?