A break from the rain Wednesday and Thursday, but rain will return over the weekend
Conditions will improve greatly Wednesday after the most significant storm in the area since 2005. Temperatures will stay about the same in the upper 50s to low 60s.
Rain totals for several coastal areas were between 3 to 8 inches, and mountains and foothills received in many cases over a foot of rain. On the higher end of the spectrum, San Marcos Pass came out near the top at over 17 inches in two days.
One holdout from the storm is high surf. An advisory is in effect for all beaches until 10:00 pm Friday. Waves will be 10 to 15 feet on the Central Coast, 5 to 8 feet on the South Coast, and 6 to 12 feet on the Ventura coast.
A silver lining - reservoir levels were greatly helped from the storm. As of Wednesday early morning, Cachuma sits at 81.2 percent, Gibraltar at 101.2 percent, Jameson at 90.7 percent, and Twitchell at 16.8 percent.
Skies will clear better as a ridge of high pressure starts to build in. There is a slight chance of rain in SLO County, especially in the northwest corner, as a system brushes up against the region and fizzles out.
Thursday will stay dry with the ridge squarely over the region. Temperatures will warm 5 to 10 degrees and cloud cover will be present at times. Weak northeasterly winds will blow below advisory levels in Ventura County with light offshore flow.
Clouds will stick around Friday. The ridge will depart as a trough approaches. A slight chance of rain will develop as it does, starting northwest and moving southeast.
Rain is likely Saturday and chances will linger through Monday. We could see 1 to 2 inches for coastal areas, up to 3 inches for mountains and foothills, plus snow at 6,000 feet. This storm is not as worrisome as the one we experienced early this week.
