Wind will stay blustery, plus we begin to see chances of rain and snow Wednesday, beginning a significant winter storm

Temperatures are dropping across the region Wednesday, and in some cases by up to 10 degrees. Temperatures will be in the 50s, upwards of 10 degrees below normal.

Scattered showers will move swiftly across the region through the entire day, with periods of sun between periods of rain. Winds will be blustery, but diminish after the morning. Be careful of hazards like downed trees or branches and obstacles in roadways.

The high wind warning has been lifted. The wind advisory expires at 10:00 am for the Cuyama Valley, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County interior valleys, Santa Ynez Valley, South Coast, Santa Ynez Range, Ventura County coast, and all Ventura County valleys. Gusts will be over 50 mph.

Snow is possible above 1,500 feet with the exceptionally cold low approaching. There is a long-duration winter storm warning for the Ventura County mountains and Santa Barbara interior mountains, upgrading at 4:00 am Friday. Wind gusts could reach over 50 mph with dangerous wind chills. At 4:00 am Friday, the warning turns into a blizzard warning and expires at 4:00 pm Saturday. Gustst could reach 65 to 75 mph with near zero visibility. In total, we could see up to a foot of snow above 2,000 feet, and up to 5 feet over 3,500 feet, with some isolated high elevation spots at up to 7 feet.

There is also a winter weather advisory until 1:00 pm Thursday for the Santa Lucia and Santa Ynez Ranges. An advisory will pick up at 10:00 am, expiring at the same time in the SLO interior valleys. Additionally, there is a winter weather advisory for the Cuyama Valley until 4:00 am Friday. We could see up to 4 inches of snow for these areas, but the Cuyama foothills could see up to 6 inches. Gusts will be 35 to 60 mph.

A high surf advisory remains in effect on the Central Coast with 12 to 16 foot breaking waves until 3:00 am Friday. It remains on the Ventura Coast with 8 to 12 foot breaking waves, and on the South Coast with 4 to 9 foot breaking waves, expiring at 3:00 am Thursday. Local wave sets may be higher.

Rain chances grow more likely and consistent Thursday as the upper low travels down the West Coast to the west of Point Conception. Through Thursday, we will likely see up to a half inch of snow.

The heaviest rain and snow will follow overnight Thursday into Friday. Shower chances continue Saturday following the main front. However, with the low directly over the region Saturday afternoon, conditions will be unstable, bringing potential for thunderstorms, hail, and waterspouts. For the entire storm period, we could see up to 4 of rain, with most in foothills.

Sunday will dry out briefly as the low exists to the east. However, another system is headed our direction early next week.