A cloudy and cooler Tuesday ahead

We saw beautiful mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures for Christmas but as we head on into Tuesday clouds increase and temperatures cool. A storm system impacts the Pacific Northwest and brings high level clouds and slightly cooler air to the Central Coast. Expect to see highs in the middle to upper 60s and right at about average for this time. Winds will be onshore and under advisory levels. Marine hazards will be something to look out for as we have a Beach Hazard Statement in effect for Santa Barbara South Coast until Wednesday.

Onshore winds keep the cooling trend into Wednesday. The area will only cool a few degrees and clouds continue to blanket the region. A smaller storm system impacts the northern half of California and has the possibly ti stretch to SLO county, but with each new model run, it’s likely the entire southern half of the area will stay dry, with only a tenth of an inch or less falling in SLO. 

The low pressure system passes through by Thursday morning causing less chance for rain and less cloud cover. The sun will peak through the clouds at times and winds will remain calm. Highs for the day will climb in to the middle to upper 60s and it’ll be a rather pleasant and mild day. The biggest impact over these next few days will be high surf. It’s possible that Ventura County will see waves upwards of 10ft on Thursday and over 15ft along the Central Coast Thursday into the weekend. A High Surf Advisory and a Coastal Flood Advisory go into effect at 3am Thursday and continue through Sunday. A cold front moves through Friday and Saturday causing another cooling trend and the possibility for unsettled weather. There is the possibility for another storm system next week but both of these storms need time to develop and models will come to agreement on timing over the next few days.