An unseasonably cold system brings rain and drops temperatures Thursday
An unseasonably cool low pressure system slides down to the south and parks over the Bay area Thursday. This will bring in some energy, moisture and instability for the Central Coast. Due to this cold and potent system, the marine layer developed overnight and skies will stay mostly cloudy. We have the possibility of light drizzle in the foothills due to the marine layer, but the rain from this storm will approach by the second half of the day. Since this storm is so cold, we dont expect much as far as rainfall amounts. Most areas will see a quarter of an inch to half of an inch with these spotty and fast moving showers. The main topic of this system will be thunderstorms and snow. We have a 20-30% chance of thunderstorm development, with that being said, the cold air associated with this system will likely produce hail. Snow levels lower to 5,000' by Thursday night and then 4,000' by Friday morning, meaning areas likely broadcast peak and the tops of the Santa Ynez mountains will see a dusting of snow. The heaviest rainfall, will occur overnight into Friday morning. Winds will not be up to advisory levels and temperatures cool even further into Friday.
Friday morning will be soggy, cold and cloudy. High temperatures cool off further and it will be the coolest day of the week, some areas 20 degrees below average. (Middle 50s are considered chilly and abnormal even for January!). It will be the perfect morning for a warm coffee and a movie! More isolated and fast moving showers will add to the half inch rainfall mark. After lunchtime we begin to dry out and shower activity diminishes. The evening should be rather calm and we will see a slight break in the clouds. High Surf will still be an issue for west facing beaches and the Beach Hazard Statement will still impact the South facing beaches. Overnight low will cool into the 40s and some fog may develop to begin the weekend.
Other than some low clouds and a cool morning, it will be a rather mundane weekend. We dry out Saturday and Sunday and temperatures warm slightly. Highs will be back into the 60s and still below average. Skies will clear to mostly sunny by each evening with Monday and Tuesday looking to be the brightest. By Wednesday most highs will be back to seasonal.
