Hello, Central Coast! Happy Friday. Hope you had a wonderful week, despite the warm conditions that took over the area this week. Unfortunately, the heat will continue over the valleys and mountains through next Tuesday. Remember to stay hydrated, limit your sun exposure, and drink plenty of water.
Weather headlines:
-An extended period of hot conditions will continue over the valleys and mountains into Tuesday, with the hottest days occurring Saturday through Monday.
-Widespread cooling is expected Tuesday through Friday.
-Low clouds will continue to moderate the coastal areas, with dense fog and low visibilities at times.
Detailed forecast:
Mid-level moisture continues to stream over the area thanks to southwest flow aloft. The radar continues to indicate isolated showers focused over San Luis Obispo County. This will stay with us into the evening then shift to the north.
With very dry low levels, rain will be unlikely to reach the ground. The greatest threat remains an isolated dry lightning strike or two starting a fire. The risk is low but not zero.
The onshore flow on Friday will turn slightly offshore by Saturday with slight ridging aloft.
As a result, the brief break in the heat today will be followed by another warm-up over the valleys and lower mountains for Saturday through Monday.
The stubborn high pressure that brought all the heat this week has shifted slightly east and will allow a slightly cooler Friday across the region. By Saturday, the high pressure will reestablish itself once again bringing soaring temps into the weekend.
While temperatures will not reach the levels we experienced earlier this week, expected highs will still be 10 to 20 degrees above normal.
Excessive Heat Warnings will remain over the inland valleys and lower mountains from 10 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Monday in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
The Heat Advisories in the Santa Ynez Valley and the inland portions of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara countries will also be in effect through 8 p.m. Monday.
With any offshore flow staying in the mountains and inland valleys, there is little reason to think that the low clouds and fog will go away.
Most coastal areas as a result will remain warm but not hot. The marine layer will shrink, however, and dense fog will become a significant travel issue with very low visibility.
Relief from the heat is on the way. High-pressure aloft will slowly break down as pressure gradients trend onshore.
While Tuesday will remain rather warm, and will remain above normal all week, temperatures will steadily drop each day through Friday.
