Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Pajaro Dunes, CA

SHORT TERM
Issued at 935 PM PDT Sat Apr 18 2026 (Tonight through Monday)

Satellite imagery shows high clouds continuing to cover the Bay Area and Central Coast tonight, which are expected to continue to push through the region in the overnight period before steadily thinning and scattering Sunday morning. Low temperatures tonight are expected to hover in the middle 40s to lower 50s across the region, perhaps a few degrees warmer than the current forecast if the high level cloud cover is enough to inhibit radiational cooling and reflect thermal energy back to the surface.

Today will be a day of temperatures close to the seasonal averages, with the inland valleys reaching highs in the 70s, the Bays seeing highs in the middle 60s to lower 70s, and the Pacific coast hovering around the upper 50s to the lower 60s. A gentle onshore breeze with a southwesterly component will develop during the afternoon, with the breezy winds persisting into the night as a cold front approaches the region.

LONG TERM
Issued at 935 PM PDT Sat Apr 18 2026 (Monday night through next Saturday)

The focus of the seven-day outlook continues to be centered around the cold front coming through the Bay Area and Central Coast for the early part of the work week. Pre-frontal rain showers are expected to arrive sometime Monday morning across the North Bay and continue to spread southward through the day, with the main frontal band coming through later on Monday into Tuesday morning. Behind the front, and with the associated upper level low coming through northern California, the newly arrived cold pool will allow for a chance of isolated to scattered thunderstorms through Tuesday afternoon and evening, with probabilities ranging from around 20 to 30 percent across the region. Lingering showers and chances for isolated thunderstorms (up to 15% probability) continue through Wednesday, and should move out of the region by Wednesday night.
Through all of this, high temperatures will dip into the lower to middle 60s in the lower elevations to the 50s across the higher elevations, and rain totals will range from 0.5-1.5" across the interior valleys and most of the Bay Area and Monterey Bay regions, to around 1.5-3" in the coastal ranges and the interior mountains of the North Bay. This should be mostly beneficial across the region, but some minor nuisance flooding is possible in urban and poor drainage areas if heavy rain showers or thunderstorms develop.

As the frontal system passes, temperatures will warm slightly into a rather dry latter part of the week, back to around the seasonal averages rather similar to today's highs. Extended guidance from the Climate Prediction Center leans towards temperatures and rain totals above seasonal averages for the last week of April.

AVIATION
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 500 AM PDT Sun Apr 19 2026

Patchy coastal low clouds and fog /MVFR-IFR-LIFR/ are developing this morning otherwise it's VFR. Sufficient mixing will result in VFR prevailing everywhere from later morning through afternoon.
Clouds increase tonight and Monday morning with rain arriving along the immediate coast of the Bay Area Monday.

Vicinity of SFO...VFR. High clouds today, increasing clouds tonight and Monday morning with light rain arriving 12z through 18z Monday. West wind 10 to 12 knots today, decreasing and becoming light southeast tonight and Monday morning.

SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO.

Monterey Bay Terminals...Patchy coastal low clouds and fog /IFR- LIFR/ otherwise VFR. High clouds today through late tonight and Monday morning. Light and variable winds becoming southwesterly except possibly northwesterly at KSNS from late morning through afternoon. Mainly light southeasterly winds tonight and Monday morning.

MARINE
(Today through Friday)
Issued at 440 AM PDT Sun Apr 19 2026

Fresh southerly breezes will develop ahead of a slow moving cold front through early week. Rain will accompany the cold front and there is a chance of thunderstorms Tuesday. Dry weather returns late in the week.

MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
CA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM to 9 PM PDT Monday for Mry Bay- Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm.

Small Craft Advisory from 3 AM to 3 PM PDT Monday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm.