Winds die down Wednesday, tracking our first pulse of rain Thursday

Wednesday will be the last day of high pressure sitting over the area. With high pressure, we can expect another warming trend where highs will warm into the 60s and lower 70s. Were seeing very minimal lower clouds this morning, there will be an increase in higher level clouds and it'll be partly cloudy. Winds may be slightly breezy to start the morning, but will be much calmer compared to the first part of the week.

A weak cold front arrives Thursday bringing some moisture for the Northern counties and near Santa Maria. Model guidance shows rainfall under a quarter of an inch, so very light rain and some places staying dry. Temperatures will cool into the 60s, winds may be slightly breezy and it will be a rather gloomy morning. Most showers look to exit rather quickly and by the afternoon we will dry out.

Our next large storm arrives Friday. A potent low pressure system sways south and follows the California coastline. This low will park right outside of San Francisco and will actually pass through LA county by Easter Sunday. As of now, models show rain arriving early Friday, with the heaviest rainfall Friday night throughout Saturday afternoon. Rainfall rates could be up to a quarter of an inch per hour. Projections right now hold steady that Santa Barbara will receive just over 2.5 inches. Heavy rain turns to showers by Easter Sunday. If you have outdoor plans you may want to push them back to Monday or Tuesday. Temperatures into the weekend cool into the upper 50s and 60s. Winds will be strong and we cannot rule out the possibility of a thunderstorm or two developing Sunday. With stronger thunderstorms, we expect periods of heavy rain and winds which will cause concern for more mudslides. Areas that have recently seen slides will be impacted the most and need to plan accordingly.