Update: On Friday night, winds will shift to the north leading to sundowner winds along western portions of the Santa Ynez range and Santa Barbara south coast.
A Wind Advisory was issued for the southwestern portion of Santa Barbara County until 5 a.m. on Friday, where wind gusts are expected to reach between 45 to 50 mph. These north winds will push the hot, dry airmass to the coasts.
Sundowner winds tonight will lead to hot, dry conditions for Santa Barbara County’s south coast, with highs pushing into the 90s Friday, and most coast and coastal valley areas are expected to jump 10 to 20 degrees warmer.
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Hello, Central Coast! Happy 4th of July. The significant heatwave is still impacting our region for the rest of the workweek and will continue into next week. Don’t forget to be weather-aware during this heatwave; drink plenty of water, stay hydrated, and try to limit your sun exposure.
Weather headlines:
-A significant heatwave will affect California this week and will continue through much of next week, with dangerously hot temperatures across much of the area.
-High temperatures will reach 95 to 105 degrees in many areas away from the coast, and upwards of 105 to 115 across the interior valleys and foothills.
-Patchy night to morning dense fog will develop near the coast through at least Friday morning.
Extended forecast:
On Thursday, the marine layer depth increased to around 1500 feet south of Pt. Conception. The combination of the marine layer and a slight onshore trend to the east caused temperatures today to take a slight dive across some of the coastal valleys.
At elevations above 1500-2000 feet, temperatures were very hot. Portions of the interior valleys in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties could see highs around 110.
Models continue to indicate significant warming on Friday, including the beaches as onshore flow weakens considerably and a light northerly flow develops that will provide an additional boost in temperatures.
High temps are expected to jump for coastal areas, with a special emphasis along southern Santa Barbara County where highs could reach nearly 100 away from the immediate coast. Farther inland areas are expecting temperatures up to 115.
Friday has the best chance to have widespread broken records as the current records are reasonably within reach in many areas.
Alerts for the heat have once again been extended, this time through Wednesday of next week.
The Excessive Heat warning for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties is scheduled until 6 p.m. on July 10th.
The Heat Advisory for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties ends at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Residents are advised to stay hydrated, avoid outdoor activities during peak heat hours, and check on vulnerable populations. Stay tuned to local updates for further information and safety guidelines.
Beaches are facing significant fog, that will keep them cool but may cause concern for firework displays tonight. The low clouds will be VERY low and dense where it is July 4th evening. Models struggle to model stratus THIS low, but this model likes quite a bit of a cloud deck right at the beach-line. It does show a small possible donut of clearing around Pismo at 9pm but this may just be wishful thinking. I think the stronger message here is that the low clouds will be near, and we'll be lucky to get clearing when and where we'd like it.
ALL communities have increased fire weather risk (warnings in some cases) take extreme caution with fireworks or anything that could cause vegetation to spark. The combination of extreme heat, low humidity, and potential sundowner winds raises the risk of fire hazards. Residents are urged to stay informed about fire weather updates and take necessary precautions. Leave the fireworks to the professionals.
Turning away from the 4th into the extended forecast. Friday will once again feature highs climbing past 110°, coasts will also start to heat up with highs climbing into the upper 90s even in coastal valleys. This will make for the hottest day of the week for most communities likely reaching record highs.
