We went from starting off last week with snow to starting off this week with a heatwave. Quite the flip within a week, a 50-degree temperature swing for daytime highs! 30's last week and 80's this week.

The hot and dry pattern lasts through Friday. There is a very slowly moving area of low pressure over the ocean southwest of CA.

This low will move very slowly northeast through this week and will eventually reach the West Coast this weekend. The forecast models show it moves north up the coast over the weekend. That will bring some gusty ridgetop winds Saturday, and cooler temperatures for the weekend. Highs dropping into the 60s at lake level and cooler on the mountains.

We will have to watch the track to see how much moisture spreads inland, but it could be enough for some afternoon showers and thunderstorms Saturday afternoon. If we see any heavier showers temperatures could cool into the 40s on the mountains, or even lower in the highest elevations. So be careful if out hiking.

https://opensummit.com/explore

Sunday we may go into a drier pattern as the system lifts north, but highs still cooler in the 60s.

We may see additional troughs move through the Pacific NW next week and in the long-range.

We are watching a system moving through Monday that could bring more showers. Here is a look at the 1-week total precipitation forecast through Monday on the GFS model.

Additional troughs and low-pressure systems moving through in the long-range could keep us from seeing another heatwave for at least a couple of weeks. Expecting mostly sunny days over the next 2 weeks, but each system could bring enough moisture to the atmosphere for afternoon showers and thunderstorms every few days or so.

The CPC's 6-10 & 8-14 day outlooks show above-average precipitation chances for the West Coast. That's not saying much with low average precipitation in the summer months, but it shows that we could see some precipitation vs a dry pattern. We will keep an eye on each system.

You should keep an eye on the forecast as well if you plan to be out hiking the mountains this summer. Be sure to use the OpenSummit app or website for your trail and peak forecasts. We are working feverishly this summer to add lots of new features to help you plan your mountain activities.

https://opensummit.com/explore

I'll have precip and snow numbers through May at the beginning of June. Also, we snuck out for some National Park hiking adventures during the dry spell in January, so I'll do some stories on those as well. Then more adventures to come later this summer once the parks re-open and quiet down.

Stay tuned...BA