Bay Area Monsoonal Flow Making For A Cloudy, Wet, Muggy July
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The Bay Area summer weather has been rather atypical lately, with clouds, rain and even thunderstorms dotting the area and parts of Northern California, because of a monsoonal flow coming from the south.
The term "monsoon" means seasonal change in winds. Usually, parts of the desert Southwest get clouds, rainfall, and thunderstorms from July through September due to a change in the source of their air.
"Every once in a while, that extra moisture gets pulled north into California," said KPIX 5 meteorologist Paul Deanno. "That leads to lots of late-day thunderstorms over the Sierra – like we've seen over the past 7 days. Sometimes, that moisture makes it all the way to the Bay Area… and that's what we've had several times this past week."
The increased humidity also makes it feel warmer than it really is since it is so muggy.
Deanno said Bay Area residents should expect to see more cloud cover, extra humidity, and a rare July shower chance, even though July is historically our driest month.
The unusual wet weather won't make a difference in the drought, but the humidity does lessen the chance of fires from lightning strikes.
After some sprinkles over the past several days, there is another chance of a passing shower Tuesday morning, Deanno said.
