A rather uneventful beginning to the work week in terms of weather will be followed by a gradual warmup towards the end of the week. Temperatures the past couple of months have been very much above normal, and in some cases approaching the warmest months on record – this trend looks set to continue at least through to early next week and possibly longer.

Rest of today – surprisingly, there is an Air Quality Alert in effect this afternoon through midnight. Some lingering haze has been a smudge on what will otherwise be a sunny day with high temperatures in the mid-50s.

Tuesday – more clouds than sun to start the day, but then clouds diminish as an offshore low exits to our east. This offshore low is not expected to bring any precipitation to the area since it will be passing too far to the south of us. Temperatures will actually be a little cooler than today – in the mid-upper 40s – since winds circulating counterclockwise around this low will be coming from the north.

Wednesday – as the low above exits, a high pressure center will begin to take hold. Return flow from the south around the western edge of this high pressure and a passing warm front will again bring in milder air. High temperatures are expected to be similar to today in the mid-50s, with mostly sunny skies.

Thursday – the warmup continues with temperatures expected to be a couple degrees warmer than on Wednesday, and with ample sunshine.