Persistent Marine Layer Brings Cloudy Skies to SoCal Throughout May

Takeaways:

• Southern California (SoCal) experienced an unusually cloudy May, with marine layer clouds persisting and slow to clear in many cities west of the mountains.

• The cloudy weather is attributed to the marine layer phenomenon, which is common in late spring and early summer along the west coast of continents due to cooler ocean waters, such as the California Current from the Gulf of Alaska.

• The marine layer forms when warm, moist air over cold water cools and condenses into clouds, which can be carried inland by winds created by the different heating rates of land and water.

• Low pressure systems in May contributed to the onshore flow of clouds and sometimes brought them further inland, leading to thicker clouds, drizzle, and light rain.

• The depth and duration of marine layer clouds are influenced by large-scale weather patterns, with low pressure systems driving clouds onshore and high pressure systems potentially confining clouds to coastal areas.

References:

[1] The sun didn't shine over many SoCal cities for much of May. Link

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