——— Update from Meteorologist Vivian Rennie 9:30 a.m.———
As winds continue to pick up alongside warming temps the fire weather watch has been upgraded to a Fire Weather Warning for large portions of the Central Coast. This includes most high elevations as well as the south coast where sundowner winds are expected. This will remain in place through 10 p.m. Saturday night.
This is extra important as there is a history of large fires igniting under similar weather conditions at this time of year. This is also categorized as a Red Flag Warning.
——— Original Article———
Good morning Central Coast!
Today is going to be the hottest day of the forecast and for many communities on the dangerous side. Stay weather aware and be sure to stay hydrated. Here are some of the top things to remember in this type of heat wave.
There is minimal (barely any) fog, just our western beaches are impacted and even that is minimal.
The whole reason all of this heat is here is a massive high-pressure system parked over California will bring three days of dangerous heat to the region.
Offshore flow will develop Thursday and Friday mornings, driving temperatures to their peak. Check out the temp for SLO, 100° by this afternoon.
Heat warnings and advisories blanket almost the entire area, and overnight lows will also remain warm in some places. Residents are strongly advised to avoid the hottest parts of the day and stay hydrated. The excessive heat warning was extended a day into Saturday for the high heat inland.
Skies will be mostly clear throughout the period, with only a few morning low clouds across the Central Coast.
A decent north-to-south gradient over Santa Barbara County will lead to Sundowner winds each night, with gusts potentially nearing advisory levels.
Fire weather concerns are heightened due to the heat wave. This has prompted a fire weather watch for much of the region.
Friday light offshore flow will reestablish, cooling beaches and costal valleys a few degrees and will push inland saturday for a slow cooling trend that will last into early next week. Despite the cooling heat hazards may persist for at least another day.
The real cooling will kick off next week when onshore flow will return and bring much cooler weather to the region, possibly even just below normal by late week.
Have a great day Central Coast and stay safe!
