Good morning Central Coast! This is a dangerous forecast so let's jump right in.
A significant heatwave is set to impact the Central Coast starting today and lasting into the weekend. While patchy low clouds and fog may develop overnight and into the morning hours, sunny skies will dominate throughout the day. Temperatures are expected to start cooling slightly by the weekend, but even Sunday will remain several degrees above normal.
Early morning dense cloud cover is causing visibility concerns for western beaches as well as coastal valleys to start the morning.
Take it slow on the roads where visibility is an issue.
That will clear out quickly though and give way to the more dangerous concern, the heat.
With weaker onshore flow and strengthening high pressure, temperatures are forecast to climb another 2 to 4 degrees. This warming trend, combined with warmer-than-normal overnight lows, will lead to excessive heat conditions across the region, excluding the beaches, which will still be 3 to 6 degrees above normal.
That means triple digits for the interiors, 80s for coastal valleys and 70s at the beaches.
On Thursday, offshore flow will strengthen even more. This will mean less morning cloud cover and even warmer temps. The peak of the weeks temps are expected Thursday when interiors will reach towards 110°. Coastal valleys like SLO could reach 100° in the afternoon.
Thanks to that extreme heat there are alerts in place for nearly all of our communities.
- Interiors of SLO and SB counties, High Heat Warning in place through Friday night at 8 p.m.
- Coastal valleys of SLO and SB Counties, Southcoast communities, High Heat Advisory through Friday night at 8 p.m.
Overnight lows in the valleys and interior areas will remain very warm, offering little relief from the heat. Some interior regions may only see lows in the 70s. Sundowner winds are expected each night across the southwestern Santa Barbara County coast, likely peaking in intensity on Thursday night when north-to-south pressure gradients are strongest.
The excessively hot conditions, combined with low humidity, raise concerns for fire weather. Residents are urged to monitor local fire updates for further information.
By Saturday, the upper-level high pressure system will begin to weaken slightly, and gradients will trend back to onshore flow. While this will bring some cooling, it will only result in a 2 to 3-degree drop, which will not be enough to eliminate dangerous heat conditions. As a result, excessive heat warnings will continue through Friday.
Looking ahead, the upper-level high will slowly be pushed eastward by a large low-pressure system moving from the Gulf of Alaska toward the Pacific Northwest. Onshore flow is expected to gradually increase each day starting Saturday. Temperatures will drop by 3 to 6 degrees, which should be enough to end the heat warnings, although some heat advisories may still be necessary for certain mountain and interior sections. Additional cooling of 2 to 4 degrees is expected Sunday and Monday, with temperatures returning to near normal by Monday.
Have a great day Central Coast and stay weather aware.
