Beaches a refuge from sweltering inland heat

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Wednesday's warm downslope winds turned into cooler onshore flow on Thursday, bringing a significant cooldown for Central Coast cities. Inland areas were not as lucky, seeing another day of intense heat with temperatures again soaring well above 100 degrees and Paso Robles hitting a daily record at 109 degrees. Marine layer will return overnight but stick exclusively to the coast. Lows will drop into the 50s at the beaches and 60s in the warmer valleys.

Excessive Heat Warnings remain in effect until Saturday for the San Luis Obispo County mountains and valleys as well as the Santa Barbara County mountains. Highs will again easily top triple digits in those areas on Friday, but we'll continue to see gradual cooling. The Santa Ynez Valley will climb into the 90s, but coastal areas should stay comfortable and only in the upper-70s.

This weekend, we begin to see more widespread cooling. By Father's Day on Sunday, temperatures inland will be dropping closer to merely above average, rather than scorching heat. Summer officially begins during the solstice on Sunday night, with much cooler temperatures and more coastal fog arriving early next week.