Happy Sunday, Central Coast!
The dry and slightly warm trend throughout the weekend was caused by a weak ridge of high pressure that built into California on Saturday.
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon due to the ridge, but various amounts of high clouds moved in from the west.
Onshore flow increased during the afternoon and will result in breezy to locally gusty southwest-west winds across the area.
Temperatures are expected to be several degrees warmer than yesterday with highs in the 50s and 60s along the coast to upper 60s to low 70s inland.
The interior vallyes were be several degrees above normal this afternoon, while the coast and coastal valleys will remain a few degrees below normal.
We will see the next shift in the weather pattern on Sunday night as the upper-level ridge of high pressure weakens and is replaced with an upper-level trough of low pressure and a weakening cold front.
As the front moves across California throughout Monday, some rain will spread across the region, especially on the Central Coast.
Rain is expected to begin Sunday overnight into Monday morning.
Snow showers will also be possible down to about 4,000 feet Monday night.
Rainfall amounts on Monday will be a tenth to a quarter inch for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, except up to 0.60 inch or so for the northern Santa Lucia mountains.
Snow amounts in the mountains could be a couple of inches for 5,000 ft and above.
Gusty west-to-northwest winds will spread across much of the area Monday afternoon.
As the upper-level trough moves over the area Monday night, the winds will switch more northwest-to-north and affect the mountains in Santa Barbara County where widespread advisory-level gusts of 45 to 50 mph are expected.
The south coast will also be affected with near advisory-level wind gusts at times.
The upper-level trough will move east by early Tuesday, with upper-level ridging building back into California Tuesday through Wednesday.
Offshore flow will occur Monday night through Wednesday morning, with mostly clear skies in the forecast.
But after a cool day on Monday, temps will be 6-12 degrees below normal.
Highs by Wednesday should range from the lower to mid-60s at the coast to the upper 60s to mid-70s from the inland coast to the valleys.
Have a fabulous week, Central Coast!
-Eddie
