Please be prepared for a major storm system to arrive Tuesday through Thursday. Monterey Bay Area residents in recent burn areas should be especially cautious, as heavy rainfall is expected to cause debris flows and flash floods in those areas. If you live on or near a burn scar, have a “go bag” ready in case you need to evacuate, and stay weather alert by enrolling in Alert Monterey County, our local emergency notification system.

A High Wind Watch has also been issued by the National Weather Service. Southerly winds will be 15-30 MPH starting on Tuesday evening and lasting until Thursday morning, with gusts up to 60-70 MPH. Strong winds may blow down limbs, trees and power lines, which may cause power outages. Please be cautious while driving, especially high profile vehicles and those pulling trailers. Follow City of Monterey on Twitter for weather updates and learn how to be prepared for outages at www.ready.gov/power-outages. On the PG&E Electric Outage Map, you can report an outage, view current outages, and even sign up for updates about a specific outage. The map is updated every 15 minutes with any new information. Stay safe.

California has lifted the regional stay at home order statewide as four-week ICU capacity projections exceed 15% for the remaining impacted regions. Pictured are the projections that led to today's determination. Governor Newsom had announced the regional stay-at-home orders on December 3 in an effort to reduce the strain on hospitals as case numbers surged. Most counties are returning to the most strict (purple) tier of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, including Monterey County. Monterey County says restaurants may open for outdoor dining, hair and nail salons may operate indoors with modifications and certain low-risk youth sports competitions may resume, effective immediately. The statewide curfew, which limits non-essential activities between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., also expires today.

According to the Governor's Office: "We are not out of the woods, although trends are heading in the right directions." Please continue to limit interactions with those outside of your household, wear a mask when you leave your home, wash your hands frequently and stay at least six feet from others. Full Statement from Monterey County Health Department

Please join the Monterey City staff for one of two Virtual Town Hall meetings this week (one in the evening and one in the daytime) to inform and gather feedback from the public about potential cannabis operations in the community. Fill out the survey and register for the January 26 or 28 Cannabis Town Hall at haveyoursaymonterey.org. Thank you for your feedback and for helping to spread the word!

REMINDER: NEW dates for 2021! Join us every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month for a virtual update with your city manager.

We'll be LIVE at youtube.com/cityofmonterey this Wednesday, January 27 at 9:30 a.m. The program will be archived on our YouTube Channel. Bring your questions and feedback.

Looking for some fun and educational activities during the storm? Whalefest Monterey, typically held at Old Fisherman's Wharf, is going virtual this year! The 11th annual event will be held January 26-29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and streamed for free. Each night’s program features a variety of fascinating talks and cutting-edge presentations by world-renowned scientists; videos from local marine, environment and sustainability-oriented non-profits sharing their goals, research and activities; history walks, arts and crafts demonstrations, an eclectic array of mostly original music performances, and more for all ages. Help us celebrate the Whale Watching Capital of the World! Learn more at montereywharf.com.

Starting January 19, Monterey County Health Department will provide data refreshes on Tuesday through Saturday only.

Below are CHOMP's daily Covid-19 numbers and ICU capacity. Also posted at https://chomp.org/coronavirus. To see more data visit https://www.chomp.org/coronavirus/data

Have Your Say Monterey - the City's new public engagement portal:

Visit https://haveyoursaymonterey.org and register to have YOUR say!

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