Small Craft Advisory 44, NWS Eureka, CA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Eureka CA
444 AM PDT Fri Apr 5 2024

.SYNOPSIS...Unseasonably cold storm systems will continue to bring
light rain and mountain snow showers through the weekend. Late
season cold air will bring widespread inland sub-freezing
temperatures tonight. Drier and much warmer conditions will
develop next week with building high pressure.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Early morning radar reveals shower activity confined
mostly over the coastal waters as a cold, upper low spins
eastward throughout the day. Weak instability and steep lapse
rates may allow for some stronger showers or a thunderstorm this
afternoon over far southern portions of the forecast area, mainly
in Lake County. With the cold air in place as the low pulls away
and winds ease, clearing skies will allow for temperatures to
quickly drop tonight. ECMWF Extreme Forecast Index is flagging for
unusually cold and impactful low temperatures tonight for the
southern half of the forecast region. With the growing season
underway, Freeze Watches and Hard Freeze Watches are out for the
mid to low 20s expected for much of the southern interior valleys.
Freeze and frost conditions will also occur closer to the coast.
Cloud cover from both low to high levels will partially aid in
insulating coastal Humboldt and Del Norte counties, but there are
some indications they will be on the thinner side at times. Frost
Advisories will likely be needed.

Traveling from the NW, a progressive shortwave trough will reach
the area Saturday. Precipitation will be limited with this system,
and so will be the impacts. Del Norte may pick up a quarter inch
of rain, but most areas will struggle to reach a tenth of an inch.
Trapped cold air in Trinity County will likely hold snow levels
lower throughout Saturday, but the very light snowfall anticipated
will not disrupt travel. High pressure will begin building back in
to start next week. Dry weather and much warmer temperatures will
likely span through much of next week.

&&

.AVIATION...Gusty northerly winds continue to decrease as the low
pressure system moves off to the south of the region. Winds will
continue to be at least gentle to moderate breezes at the coastal
terminals, with occasional gusts through the TAF period. Mostly
broken to overcast skies are expected at the coast into this
afternoon, with conditions remaining VFR. At Ukiah, conditions are
expected to be MVFR into the early morning with the lingering
moisture from the light rain yesterday with gusty mostly northerly
winds late this morning. Winds will decrease into the afternoon at
Ukiah.

&&

.MARINE...Gales will continue but continue to diminish in the southern
outer waters into the morning. The sea state will be hazardous as a
steep mid-period northwesterly swell combines with steep northerly
wind waves producing combined wave heights to 17 feet, but heights
will continue to fall into the morning. Today winds will continually
subside with generally light winds tomorrow and into Sunday morning,
before northerlies increase again by late Sunday. Small craft
conditions will be likely today as the steep waves continue to
decrease.  Seas this weekend will be dominated by a relatively minor
long-period westerly swell arriving Saturday with combined seas less
than 10 feet, and another minor northwest swell arrives Tuesday with
combined seas near 10 feet. The longer period swell may build in
near 3 to 4 feet height and 17 to 18 feet, which may initially give
notice to sneaker wave potential, but the decreasing northwest wind
wave may help interfere with this potential.

&&

.EKA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...
     Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM PDT early this morning
     for CAZ108-110-111-113>115.

     Hard Freeze Watch from late tonight through Saturday
     morning for CAZ110-111-114.

     Freeze Watch from late tonight through Saturday morning for
     CAZ113-115.

NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS...
     Hazardous Seas Warning until 9 AM PDT this morning for
     PZZ450-470.

     Gale Warning until 6 AM PDT early this morning for PZZ455-
     475.

&&

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For forecast zone information
see the forecast zone map online:
https://www.weather.gov/images/eka/zonemap.png