Thursday and Friday staying hot before a dramatic shift over the weekend
The heat is staying stubbornly in the southwest Thursday. The coast remains in the 80s and inland in the 90s to 100s. Overnight temperatures will also be above average.
An excessive heat warning will stay in effect until 8:00 Thursday for the interior of SLO County, the Cuyama Valley, the Santa Ynez Range and Santa Barbara County mountains, and the Ventura County mountains. The warning stays in effect for the inland Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley, and Ventura County valleys and inland coast until 8:00 pm Friday. More excessive heat warnings will pick up on Friday morning for the Ventura County beaches, lasting until 8:00 pm Friday as well. In the meantime, a heat advisory is in effect for the area.
High pressure is still centered around Nevada and Utah. Onshore flow will decrease. On Friday, the high will shift west and elongate, warming temperatures a few degrees in some spots for one last hot day.
Also on Friday, Hurricane Kay (likely by then downgraded to a tropical storm or depression) will hug the Baja Peninsula while moving northward towards San Diego. Once there, it will curve westerly.
Kay brings a chance of rain showers and thunderstorms over the weekend. We could receive around a half inch of rainfall in coastal and valley areas, perhaps more in southern areas mountains.
A beach hazards statement will run from Friday morning until Saturday evening on the Ventura coast and eastern South Coast. Breaking waves will be 3 to 7 feet.
Temperatures will drop by 10 to 20 degrees Saturday, finally bringing much needed relief from the heat. With better clearing Sunday, temperatures may rise by only a degree or two.
