


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
Issued by NWS Eureka, CA
441 FXUS66 KEKA 030718 AFDEKA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Eureka CA 1218 AM PDT Thu Jul 3 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Cooler interior temperatures and a deeper marine layer are expected Thursday and Friday. Fire weather concerns today from gusty afternoon winds and a slight chance for thunderstorms. Temperatures will then trend warmer through the weekend and into early next week. && .DISCUSSION...The marine layer has deepened over the last 24 hours, allowing for a further push inland of a marine-influenced airmass. A compact and somewhat vigorous shortwave trough will move through the area from the west Thursday afternoon and evening. This rather energetic disturbance will bring some limited elevated instability and moisture aloft. The moderate forcing, steep lapse rates and strong deep-layer sheer should be enough for thunderstorm development again over E Trinity County. There is not high confidence in the coverage that develops inside the Trinity County boundary, but the CAMS have inconsistently displayed activity over it. The trough influence will further deepen the marine layer Thursday night. This will further expand the marine air inland and also likely coax out light coastal drizzle in and around Humboldt Bay and the Eel delta. Temperatures will also be lower around the coast where the stratus persists. High temperatures will be muted into the weekend before a building Desert Southwest ridge begins to trend temperatures higher. The amount of influence of the building ridge over N CA is still uncertain. An upper trough will dig south, cutting off from the flow and becoming closed just off the N CA coast through the weekend. How it evolves and where it meanders to will determine the northern extent of the ridge. NBM does not currently show meaningful probabilities for high temperatures greater than 100F in the warmer interior valley locations until late next week when the cutoff low may eject NE. /JJW && .AVIATION...LIFR ceilings are likely or expected along the coast with a 60-80% chance of LIFR ceilings. Visibility is lower confidence. KCEC stands a 50% chance of visibility below 3SM at some point overnight and 50% chance of less than 2SM at ACV. Mean wind gusts from the northwest for UKI showing just over 20 mph. Better chance in temporarily eroding stratus at CEC as compared to ACV for Thursday. ACV holds on to a near 40% chance of LIFR ceilings throughout the day, with CEC almost certainly scattering temporarily Thursday afternoon. /MH && .MARINE...Northerly winds will continue in the outer waters with gale force gusts persisting downwind of Cape Mendocino through late tonight. Steep and hazardous waves will propagate into the southern inner waters through Thursday. Moderate to fresh breezes will continue in the outer waters through Friday as a long period southwesterly swell fills into the waters, with locally stronger gusts nearshore and downwind of the Cape. Northerlies expected to strengthen again late this weekend as high pressure builds back into the region. NBM currently noting 40 to 50% chance of gale gusts in the outer waters Sunday through Monday. /MH && .FIRE WEATHER...Gusty winds with low daytime RH`s are forecast for portions of zone 283 (Trinity County) and zone 264 (southern Lake County) Thursday afternoon and evening. Wind directions will generally be from the west and northwest and funneled through the valleys. Hold over fires from our recent lightning outbreak may rapidly spread, particularly in Trinity County where lightning activity was most abundant. These enhanced diurnal winds may continue on Friday, but are not forecast to be as strong. An approaching upper trough may also generate some light showers in NE Trinity County and perhaps isolated thunderstorms (up to 15% chance) over the highest terrain in NE Trinity. Convective allowing models have inconstantly trended higher with thunderstorm coverage, mainly Thursday evening with passage of the trough axis. Little to no precipitation is expected with these showers and storms. Another trough will follow over the weekend and will pose a low risk for elevated high based and low precipitation producing thunderstorms over the interior, primarily Trinity County. Otherwise, temperatures will warm up over the weekend. The warming will most likely (80% chance) continue all of next week. The magnitude and rate of the warming remains uncertain, but 100F degree heat will be possible. && .EKA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA... None. NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS... Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PDT Thursday for PZZ455-470. Gale Warning until 3 AM PDT Thursday for PZZ475. && $$ 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