June Gloom is real, and it’s here to stay for the near future.
More than a myth and a rhymy catchphrase, June Gloom is a scientific phenomenon. Dreary skies, drizzly mornings, lingering fog and an all-around malaise in the air have struck again along Santa Barbara County’s South Coast.
The gray skies typically arrive at the end of May, sparking the term “May Gray,” and can last through mid-July.
The differences in water temperatures and the inland temperatures cause the June Gloom.
“When you have warm air above cool water, then the water can cool the air above and form clouds,” said Kristen Stewart, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “The clouds are pushed into our coast and valleys because the heat from the desert creates a low pressure. The air will flow to the water from the land pushing the clouds in.”
According to Accuweather, June Gloom happens when a marine layer is created by rising air over the hot, desert regions of the Southwest. This rising air creates a vacuum. Cool, moist air is then drawn in from the Pacific Ocean along the coastline of California by a subtle breeze.
The temperature of the water drops to about 60 degrees, lower than its usual mid-60s, and even to the 70s in the late summer.
“The next seven days are going to be pretty similar,” Stewart said. “June Gloom is going to stick around. Really not much is gonna change in the next few days.”
Once the gloom goes away, expect a hot summer.
The Climate Prediction Center’s recent report for July, August and September shows that “for the West Coast, there’s a chance there could be above-normal temperatures.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
