Update (9:45 p.m.) - The last and strongest of this series of three storms will be moving into the region quickly tonight into Monday. The current radar is already showing the leading edge of the next rain band and isolated thunderstorm activity extending from the Monterey Bay southwestward to just west of our outer coastal waters.
Rain is expected to impact portions of our Central Coast by around midnight and then spread into Ventura and Los Angeles counties by late tonight and early Monday morning.
The combination of strong forcing and increasing instability with this system will bring a 20-40 percent chance of thunderstorms to the entire area later tonight into Monday evening.
The storm event will lead to higher rainfall totals and rates for most areas of the Central Coast, even though it will be a fairly quick pass through the area. There is about a 70% chance of rain rates of 3/4 of an inch per hour across northwest San Luis Obispo County and just about anywhere south of Point Conception.
Flood advisories may be issued for some areas, as flooding of roadways and small streams may occur, especially in areas where thunderstorms develop. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches can be expected for much of the area, with local amounts up to 2.50 inches near south-facing slopes.
The main threats with thunderstorm development with this system include brief heavy rainfall, locally strong wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, and dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning.
South to southwest winds are already ramping up ahead of this next wave this evening.
With the Wind Advisories in effect for San Luis Obispo’s interior valleys and Santa Barbara County, the wind gusts are expected to reach 40 to 50 mph.
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Original Story (4:45 p.m.) - Hello, Central Coast! Happy Sunday. We had a few scattered showers this morning across the Central Coast and luckily had some sunshine throughout the afternoon hours with mostly cloudy skies. Here’s a quick look at some headlines taking place across the Central Coast for Sunday and our transition into the new work week. We are expecting periods of rain through Monday as a series of storms will move through the area. Additionally, there is a 20 to 40 percent chance of thunderstorms that may take place late Sunday night into Monday evening. Lastly, dry and warmer weather is expected for the remainder of this week but we may have a chance of light showers Wednesday in northern areas of the region.
Meteorologist Vivian Rennie and I will be tracking these storms as they pass through.
Here is a look at your Interactive Radar!
Aside from a few scattered showers that occurred this morning, the conditions today have been relatively dry with some sunshine in the forecast.
However, the last and likely strongest series of storms will be moving in quickly tonight. Rain is expected to return to the Central Coast around midnight. Some thunderstorms are expected to be embedded in this storm, don't be too surprised if a few rumbles of thunder wake you up overnight. These pockets also bring heavier rain. Remember that when thunder roars, head indoors and be cautious of localized flooding.
Here is a look at the simulated radar loop of what we are likely to see.
The cold front driving these heavier bands of rain will arrive late tonight and will first bring heavy rain to the western beaches and move east from there.
By mid-morning on Monday, the worst will have pushed east and a few lingering showers will be all that is left.
As far as accumulations are concerned another 1.5" is expected at higher elevations. The lowest totals (near half an inch) is expected for the interiors. These are the accumulations on top of what we have already seen since Friday morning.
Showers and storms are expected to start tapering off by Monday afternoon, with most of the precipitation ending by Monday evening. However, there will be some lingering showers over the north-facing mountains as the winds shift around to the northwest. Gusty northwest winds are likely in the mountains early Tuesday.
By Tuesday, we are expecting to have dry and warmer conditions on the Central Coast.
Have a wonderful Sunday, Central Coast! Don't forget to download the KSBY Microclimate App for the latest weather headlines.
Current Advisories:
The is a High Surf Advisory active in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County until 10 pm Sunday. We are expecting the High surf to decrease below advisory levels late this evening but will remain elevated through Monday morning. A longer-period swell of 15-17 seconds will arrive Monday afternoon, with another round of high surf developing and continuing into the middle of the week - especially along west-facing beaches of San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Ventura County.
There is a high rip current risk for all beaches through the upcoming week.
There is also a Wind Advisory in place for San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County from now through Monday until 2 pm.
We are expecting to see south to southwest winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts reaching between 40 to 50 mph.
