Good morning Central Coast!
The Central Coast is set to experience warm and breezy conditions again today, with elevated fire weather concerns (but no advisory since certain criteria like wind speed have not been achieved). Cooler conditions are expected heading into the weekend, with a slight chance of light rain over northern areas. Here is a look at some of the daytime highs from Wednesday:
Strong Offshore Winds and Near-Record Conditions
A strong area of high pressure is currently dominating the region, resulting in a significant pressure difference between the coast and inland areas. This pressure gradient drove winds Wednesday with gusts reaching 40-50 mph in some areas. The wind speeds were close to record levels for this time of year, but less wind is expected today, thankfully. In fact, there are no current advisories at all.
Temperature Rollercoaster
Temperatures are expected to soar into the mid-70s to low-80s for most coastal valleys again today. These temperatures are roughly 10-15 degrees above normal.
Cooling Trend and Chance of Rain
The offshore winds will weaken on Thursday but still be around early in the day before turning onshore late.
By Friday, the offshore winds will weaken further, and a southwesterly flow will bring in some mid and high-level clouds. This will result in partly cloudy skies and a further cooling trend.
Looking ahead to the weekend, a large storm system to the north may bring some light rain to San Luis Obispo County, though the chances are currently low. Onshore flow and cloud cover will continue to moderate temperatures.
Xmas Eve rain
A significant NorCal system is likely for Xmas eve, but locally the impact will be diminished, but it still looks like some rain will fall. This far out, I’d say up to .30” of rain but I’ll be refining this forecast in the coming days. At this point be aware there could be travel issues, especially if you head north of the Central Coast.
Have a wonderful day Central Coast!
