Good morning, Central Coast!
To kick off our Wednesday temps across the region are significantly warmer than the past couple of days. Lows in the mid 30s for the interiors represents a nearly 15 degree warm up as compared to morning temps Tuesday. Enjoy these "warm" temps though. 20s are once again expected in the early mornings to close the week.
Despite warmer morning temps, afternoon temps will not follow the same trend. Highs will fall a few degrees and stay in the 50s for most communities, mid 60s along the south coast.
Turning to winds, strong northerly winds are causing concern through Thursday afternoon.
The Wind Advisory has been expanded to include all of Santa Barbara County and parts of San Luis Obispo County. Additionally a High Wind Warning has been issued for the higher elevations of Santa Barbara County through Thursday afternoon.
At the peak of this hazard sustained winds 30-40 mph are expected alongside isolated gusts up to 80 mph. This is enough to cause damage. Take caution.
Moving onto waves, although we’ve seen calm ocean conditions for the past few days, another swell is headed our way.
A high surf advisory is in effect until 9am Friday morning. A Coastal Flood Advisory will also overlap from 3 AM Wednesday to noon PST Thursday. That concern will pair with king tides and bring the possibility of tidal and wave overflow in coastal communities.
In addition to the winds and waves there is some rain on the horizon. A decaying cold front is plunging south into the region this afternoon and will bring us scatted showers this evening.
The showers will be very isolated for most of the evening hours but as the front passes through more widespread rain is expected. The best chances for measurable rain are from midnight to 3 a.m. Once the showers moves out we will be left with very clear skies and cold temps once again for the interior valleys.
Accumulations will be low, only a few hundredths of an inch are expected for most communities with up to a tenth of an inch possible in isolated locations.
Looking into the extended forecast, lots of afternoon sunshine will be the backdrop for wind and wave concerns through this week. Tomorrow cold interior valley temps return. Next week we will warm up a bit more.
Have a wonderful day Central Coast!
