Thursday evening forecast – April 2nd
Thursday was a gorgeous spring day with warm temperatures and highs just above normal. Wind is still gusty along the Central Coast and Santa Barbara County South Coast and Mountains.
A Wind Advisory remains in effect until Friday morning for the Santa Barbara South Coast and Mountains, but all areas are expecting breezy conditions.
Friday will be another nice day with spring temperatures in the mid 60s to low 70s and a good amount of sunshine. The Central Coast will see windy conditions in the afternoon, while the Santa Barbara South Coast will deal with the wind in the evening.
Saturday we will start to see some changes as a low pressure system drops southward. This will cool us down and bring us more cloud cover. Temperatures will fall a couple degrees below normal into the lower 60s. There is a chance we could even see some light rain.
By Sunday, a storm system will bring clouds, rain, and cooling. Rain will spread through the region from north to south Sunday and Monday. The majority of the rain will fall between midnight Sunday and noon Monday. During this time there will be good southerly low level flow which will greatly enhance the rainfall rates and totals over the south facing slopes from Santa Ynez range to the San Gabriels. The heavier rain will move out of San Luis Obispo and northern San Luis Obispo County by the early afternoon. Showers will continue overnight as the upper low will remain near the area. For now it looks like the coast and valleys should produce close to 1” of rain, while the south facing slopes could receive 2-3” of rain. There will be snow with this system and snow levels will be low for April but still not expecting snow on the major passes.
Tuesday through Thursday evening looks to bring isolated showers and possible afternoon thunderstorms in the colder airmass. Afternoon temperatures will likely be 10 degrees below normal through the extended period under cloudy skies.
