Weather headlines:
-Offshore flow will turn light-onshore ahead of a weakening front approaching south of the region on Friday, with some drizzle accompanying the frontal passage north of Point Conception.
-The front will dissipate as it moves south across the area, followed by light to moderate offshore flow for much of the weekend into early next week with dry conditions.
Detailed forecast:
A broad upper ridge of high pressure and offshore flow gave us mostly sunny skies on Thursday.
As moisture increases Friday night in advance of a weak cold front, lows tonight will not get quite as cold as they did last night. Lows will be ranging from the middle 40s to the lower 50s tonight, except as low as the middle 30s in the colder valleys.
The skies should be mostly clear tonight. But some patchy low clouds and fog will may appear near the coast.
On Friday, an upper trough will send a weakening cold front southward across the region.
Winds will turn light-onshore ahead of the front on Friday, with an increase in coastal low clouds and fog, and mid to high-level clouds will become widespread.
Cooling behind the front, cloud coverage, and the increased onshore flow are all expected to contribute to high temperatures cooling by around 5-10 degrees from Thursday to Friday.
The front will mostly dissipate as it moves across the Central Coast, though it is expected to be accompanied by areas of light drizzle for locations north of Point Conception through Friday night.
Dry conditions are expected on Saturday. However, high temperatures will be below normal in most areas and will only rise into the 50s and 60s in most locations.
Advisories:
A moderate west-northwest swell will arrive early Saturday morning, likely bringing high surf to west-facing beaches along the Central Coast of 10 to 14 feet.
As a result, a High Surf Advisory is in effect for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara countries, beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday, January 4th, and ends 9 a.m. Sunday, January 5th.
A Wind Advisory is in effect for the southcoast portion of Santa Barbara County until 10 a.m. Saturday, January 4th.
