084
FXUS66 KEKA 182106
AFDEKA
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
206 PM PDT WED MAR 18 2026
SYNOPSIS
DRY WEATHER AND ABOVE-SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH WIDESPREAD MINOR HEATRISK FOR THE
INTERIOR THROUGH FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL GRADUALLY THIS
WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, YET REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. THE
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION INCREASES EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
A MASSIVE 500MB RIDGE CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RESULTED IN ANOTHER UNSEASONABLY WARM DAY IN THE INTERIOR OF NORTHWEST
CALIFORNIA TODAY (WEDNESDAY). MAX TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY, SOARED
WELL INTO THE LOWER 90'S ACROSS MOSTLY MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES.
THE HOT SPOT ON TUESDAY WAS AT AN AIRNOW STATION IN UKIAH WITH A
PEAK TEMPERATURE OF 95F. THIS IS +20F ABOVE LATE MARCH 30-YEAR
AVERAGES. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE INTERIOR HIGHS ON TUESDAY WERE
MOSTLY IN THE 80'S. 24-HOUR TEMPERATURE TREND SO FAR HAS BEEN
AROUND -2F TO -5F AS OF 2 PM AND SHOULD START TO REVERSE OR
APPROACH ZERO THIS AFTNEROON. THE ABOVE NORMAL WARMTH AND MINOR
HEAT RISK IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK IN
THE INTERIOR WITH ONLY SMALL DAY-TO-DAY CHANGES.
GREATEST DOWNWARD TREND SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN ALONG THE COAST DUE
TO AN INFLUX OF COOL-DAMP OCEAN AIR. A SHALLOW, YET EXTENSIVE
MARINE AIR MASS OFFSHORE HAS BEEN BANKED UP AGAINST THE COASTLINE
TODAY. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY CLEARLY SHOWED EXTENSIVE LOW
CLOUD COVER OR STRATUS HUGGING THE COASTLINE TODAY. SURFACE
STATIONS HAVE REPORTED LOW CEILINGS WITH PERIODIC FOG AND VSBY
AROUND 1/4SM OR LESS. THERE WAS STILL CONSIDERABLE SPATIAL AND
TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF THE STRATUS. SOME IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREAS
HAVE BEEN SOCKED IN UNDER LOW CLOUDS WHILE JUST A FEW MILES INLAND
PLACES LIKE FORTUNA AND BLUE LAKE WERE BASKING UNDER BRIGHT
SUNSHINE. THE SHALLOW MARINE LAYER AND LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WILL
HANG AROUND THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. GREATER COVERAGE AND
DURATION WILL POSSIBLE AS THE LAYER DEEPENS ON FRIDAY IN RESPONSE
TO A TRANSIENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH. GUSTY COASTAL NORTHERLIES ARE
FORECAST TO FOLLOW FOR THE WEEKEND IN THE WAKE OF THIS TROUGH.
HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE INTERIOR ARE FORECAST TO MODERATE MORE
SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE WEEKEND AND THE HEAT RISK WILL GENERALLY
DIMINISH. IT WILL STILL REMAIN ABOVE LATE MARCH NORMALS FOR
PORTIONS OF THE INTERIOR AND SOME OF THE HOTTER INTERIOR VALLEYS
WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE MINOR HEAT RISK. GREATER COOLING WILL BE
POSSIBLE EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK WITH THE PASSAGE OF A SYNOPTIC
SCALE TROUGH AND EVENTUAL FRONTAL PASSAGE. SOME PRECIPITATION IS
POSSIBLE AS WELL TUE INTO WED. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR RAIN IS
FORECAST ACROSS DEL NORTE AND NORTHERN HUMBOLDT COUNTIES (40-60%).
CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE RAIN FALLS OFF SHARPLY FOR SOUTHERN MENDOCINO
AND LAKE COUNTIES (20% OR LESS). THE FRONT COULD END UP STALLING
OFFSHORE AND PROVIDE LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE TO ONLY INTERIOR DEL
NORTE AS WELL AS COASTAL AREAS NORTH OF CAPE MENDO.
AVIATION
HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA KEEPING CONDITIONS
DRY AND WINDS WEAK. A SHALLOW LAYER OF COASTAL STRATUS KEPT LOWER
CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES FOR COASTAL TERMINALS INTO EARLY AFTERNOON.
THE STRATUS CONTINUES TO BURN AWAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO RETREAT
TOWARD THE OCEAN THIS AFTERNOON. STRATUS HAS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF
REMAINING JUST OFFSHORE AND OSCILLATING IN AND OUT OF COASTAL
TERMINALS TODAY. A SHORT PERIOD OF VFR MAY BE POSSIBLE FOR COASTAL
TERMINALS BEFORE THE COASTAL STRATUS MOVES BACK INLAND THIS
EVENING. IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT TONIGHT.
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR INLAND TERMINALS, LIKE KUKI. /JLW
MARINE
AS HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY PUSHES EAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
OVER THE AREA HAS CONTINUED TO WEAKEN. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR GENTLE
TO MOSTLY CALM NORTH WINDS THROUGH THURSDAY WITH ONLY LOCALLY ENHANCED
WINDS TO AROUND 15 KTS IN THE LEE OF CAPE MENDOCINO. CALMER WINDS
WILL REMAIN AS LONG AS HIGH PRESSURE COVERS THE AREA. AS HIGH PRESSURE
FINALLY BREAKS DOWN, STRONGER WINDS WILL BEGIN TO RETURN FIRST TO
THE SOUTHERN WATERS FRIDAY. STRONGER WINDS WILL RETURN THIS WEEKEND,
WITH GALE CONDITIONS VERY LIKELY (80% CHANCE) IN THE OUTER WATERS
BY SUNDAY.
CALM WINDS WILL GENERALLY LIMIT ANY MEANINGFUL SHORT PERIOD SEAS THROUGH
THE WEEK. THAT SAID A MINOR, LONG PERIOD SOUTHERLY SWELL AND MODEST
MID PERIOD WESTERLY SWELL WILL COMBINE TO CREATE AT LEAST SOME SEAS
UP TO 6 FEET THROUGH MID WEEK. STEEPER SHORT PERIOD SEAS WILL
RETURN THIS WEEKEND WITH THE WIND. /JHW
EKA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
CA...
NONE.
NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS...
NONE.
NOTE: THE FULL FORECAST DISCUSSION IS NOW REGULARLY ISSUED BETWEEN
10 AM/PM AND 1 PM/AM. ADDITIONAL UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.
VISIT US AT HTTPS://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/EUREKA
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER AT:
HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSEUREKA
HTTPS://WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSEUREKA
FOR FORECAST ZONE INFORMATION
SEE THE FORECAST ZONE MAP ONLINE:
HTTPS://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IMAGES/EKA/ZONEMAP.PNG
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page