Strong winds and warmer temperatures continue Wednesday

We are tracking breezy sundowner winds and dry conditions which sparked a handful of vegetation fires Tuesday night. The Hill Fire is now up to 1,383 acres and is 10% contained. The First Alert Weather Center will be monitoring the containment and air quality closely. Winds helped skies clear out Tuesday evening, but they were not strong enough to keep the marine layer and fog from forming Wednesday morning. Most of the area will wake up to gray and gloomy skies, near Santa Ynez and fog prone areas, we may see some misting. Fog and clouds begin to clear near the south facing beaches by the evening while west facing beaches will likely see minimal clearing. Sundowner winds occur yet again near the Gaviota Coast, this could bring in smoke from surrounding wildfires and reduce air quality. Temperatures begin to warm into the upper 60s near the beaches and 70s and 80s for the interior.

Thursday will be even warmer for the interior. Some places will heat up to 90 degrees! While this is typical for this time of year, it is not ideal for fire season as hot and dry conditions promote wildfire concerns. The month of May is recognized as the wildfire preparedness month, so this is the time to practice fire safety. While inland areas will be sunny, dry and toasty, the marine layer will keep conditions calm and cooler near the coast. Winds pick back up into the evening and will help stratus clouds scatter out. West facing beaches may see slow to minimal clearing while the south coast will be sunny and warmer.

We end the month of May with gray skies and warm temperatures. We transition into June Gloom each morning, warmer temperatures and dispersing clouds each evening. Temperatures into the weekend will be toasty and into the upper 60s and 70s for the beaches and 80s inland.