Squall Line Looming

This is an unusual sight here on the Central Coast that was captured on radar a short time ago. This squall line will reach Paso Robles within an hour or two. Three years of drought has deprived us of any Pacific storms of this magnitude. Additionally, the ongoing negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation has caused us to have fewer and weaker El Niños than otherwise. The net effect is that we have not seen weather like this in quite some time which makes for an exciting night here on the Central Coast. With El Niño-like conditions being felt locally this is but the latest in an ongoing series of Pacific storms.
Image courtesy of NOAA's NWS (all rights reserved)