Hold onto your hats, folks! We're in for a wild weather ride this weekend as a late-season storm barrels into our region, promising a mix of rain, snow, and thunderstorms. Here's what to expect:
Key points of the forecast:
- Cooler temperatures will sweep in with the arrival of another late-season storm.
- Rain showers will kick off tonight and stick around through Sunday.
- Snow is forecasted for higher elevations
- Monday will mark the start of a warming trend, bringing dry weather for the week ahead.
Here is what’s happening:
An upper-level low-pressure system is set to move into the area, triggering rain and snowfall over the weekend.
We are already experiencing drizzle and light showers in the area. Expect more light rain to develop tonight, followed by a more significant cold front on Saturday, bringing moderate precipitation.
The heaviest band will be between 5 am when the front arrives on the north coast of San Luis Obispo County to roughly 2 pm when the front exists in eastern Santa Barbara County. There appears to be less activity from the afternoon until Sunday morning when the upper-level low crosses over the area when rain resumes and a chance of thunderstorms.
Rain will wind down Sunday evening with rainfall totals ranging from 0.50 to 1.50 inches across the region and up to 3.00 inches in mountainous areas.
Thunderstorms are possible, especially on Sunday, potentially bringing heavy rain, small hail, and gusty winds. Waterspouts and tornadoes are also possible with thunderstorms.
Snow levels will drop to 4000-5000 feet by Saturday night, with significant accumulations expected above 6000 feet.
Due to expected hazardous conditions, winter weather advisories are in effect for mountain areas in SBA, Ventura, and LA counties. For Santa Barbara County the advisory is from 5 am Saturday until 5 pm Sunday.
5-10 inches of snow above 6000ft. 1-5 inches between 4000 to 6000 feet. There could be some non-accumulating snow down to 3500ft.
There is a high surf advisory in effect for west-facing beaches along the Central Coast. The advisory is from 9 pm Saturday until 9 pm Sunday for 6-10ft breakers with rip currents.
There is a wind advisory for the interior of SLO County and the Cuyama area from 6 pm Friday until 3 pm Saturday for S winds 20-30mph with gusts to 45mph. Elsewhere it will be locally windy but under advisory criteria.
(addition 9:00 pm from Chief Meteorologist Dave Hovde: the wind advisory. was expanded. The new advisory area is in effect until noon Saturday for the Santa Lucia Mountains, Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast, and Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range. South to southeast winds of 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph are expected. These gusty winds may cause difficulty for driving, especially for high-profile vehicles, and could lead to the blowing around of unsecured objects, fallen tree limbs, and potential power outages.)
Highs over the weekend will generally be in the 50s to the low 60s.
After the storm departs dry and warmer conditions are on the horizon as a ridge builds along the West Coast.
Expect mostly clear to partly cloudy skies, with the warmest days likely on Wednesday and Thursday when temps return to the 60s to mid-70s.
Coastal low clouds and fog may develop during the night and morning hours, but overall, the week ahead looks to be dry and pleasant.
