Someone give it a try...this is incredible...

[hurricanetrack]

Ok, take a look at the OTIS SST anomaly map tonight... link below...

Look at that huge area of warmer than normal water now off of CALIFORNIA and Mexico. What is causing that?

My guess is that there is a strong high over the eastern Pacific and its clockwise flow is sending water WESTWARD from South America- causing upwelling there, and then EASTWARD towards CA and Mexico where it is piling up and warming. Seems like a simple enough explanation to me. What do others think?

I cannot remember that I have ever seen such a large area of higher than normal SSTs off of California like that.

https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/products/OTI ... nomaly.gif

[MWatkins]

My guess is that it's invloved with the overall pattern that is bringing in wildfires to the SoCal area a month or so ahead of schedule.

I know that surface temps have been well above norm in southern Cal over the last 2 weeks (LA had a day over 100 I think). Perhaps the pattern associated with this is reflecting in the OTIS model.

MW

[Anonymous]

Negative PNA pattern...strong western ridge.

[hurricanetrack]

So it looks like a strong ridge is sitting out there pumping the water WESTWARD awat from SA and then EASTWARD towards NA on the top side of the ridge.

I have not even looked at any model charts for the Pacific, doh! The ridge would show up nicely for sure at surface, 850mb and 500mb, perhaps.

[weatherlover427]

It's been very warm here the past few weeks. Records fell like crazy at the end of April and the first few days of this month. Temps have cooled since then but have remained somewhat above average. The current forecast calls for temperatures here to fall a bit more as a torugh passes by to our north and then they will rebound again before falling again next week.