Friday evening forecast – Feb. 7th

Dry weather with slightly above normal temperatures is expected through Saturday, then a cold low pressure system will move into the region with chance of rain and mountain snow between Sunday and Monday, mainly south of Point Conception. Dry and generally cool weather is expected Tuesday through Thursday.

Friday we enjoyed comfortable conditions. Mostly sunny skies, calm winds and highs in the 60s.  Tonight temperatures will dip into the 30s inland and 40s along the coast.

Low clouds continue to hang over the coastal waters, and with a developing sea breeze this afternoon there will be a chance of marine layer stratus over
coastal areas tonight through Saturday morning. The best chance for clouds will be south of Point Conception.  With a shallow marine layer less than 1000 ft deep, there is a chance of patchy dense fog. Less confidence for the Central Coast due to northeast flow.  Highs are expected to be in the mid to upper 60s on Saturday.

The ridge begins to break down on Saturday in advance of a trough dropping south from British Columbia. Saturday will be a copy of Friday, with sunny skies and temperatures slightly above normal. On Saturday night, the marine layer is expected to deepen as the trough approaches and an eddy forms. Low clouds will likely cover all of the coasts and possibly the coastal valleys. There will be a chance of drizzle early Sunday morning along eastern slopes.

On Sunday through Sunday night, the trough continues to move southward over Nevada towards point conception and evolves into a closed low. It is expected to move over the coastal waters which will allow it to pick up some moisture to increase precipitation chances. The best chance for
precipitation will be Sunday night through Monday morning mainly for LA and Ventura counties, with a lower chance for eastern Santa Barbara County.  Amounts are expected to be very small. This system will also bring in a cold air mass, so snow levels will drop to near 3000 feet or so. Therefore light snow is possible in the mountains, but probably limited to a dusting to an inch or two. This could pose minor travel issues on major mountain passes, including along i-5 through the grapevine.  Strong northeast winds are also expected Sunday night into Monday morning. 

High pressure begins to build again on Tuesday brining us back to around normal with sunny skies.