Dry & Warming Week:
Mostly sunny for Monday with highs in the 50s. High pressure builds in over the West Coast through the end of the week. That will keep us dry with mostly sunny skies expected each day through the upcoming weekend which will be the last two days of April.
We will see temperatures warming through the week with highs into the 50s on the upper mountain and 60s at the base starting Tuesday. Then into the 60s for the upper mountain and 70s at the base by Thursday through the weekend.
Long-Range Forecast:
The long-range models have been consistent for a while now in showing a shift in the pattern during the first week of May. They continue to show the high-pressure ridge being replaced by troughing over the West Coast.
That would bring in some cooler temperatures but likely not that cold. Highs could drop into the 50s for some days and the 40s for the upper elevations. The long-range models suggest slightly below-average temperatures through at least the 8th.
It’s late in the season for any storms to move in off of the Pacific or to spin up in the trough. The best shot of any heavier precipitation would be if a cut-off low dropped south into the trough over the West Coast at some point.
We could continue to see partly-mostly sunny skies each day with some afternoon showers forming over the mountains. If a cut-off drops through CA we could see some steadier showers for a day or two. But the air looks to remain mild enough for only rain showers for most elevations and only a chance for wet snow on the highest peaks.
BA
P.S. I have now shifted to staggered posts with the warm/dry pattern, and I plan to wrap up forecasting for the season on May 1st. If it looks likely that a significant storm could bring us accumulating snowfall during May I may do a bonus post.
