Moderate to heavy rain and snow persist Friday, with a chance of T-storms or hail
Temperatures are hardly budging Friday, still sitting way below normal. Temperatures for coastal areas will be in the 50s, and the interior in the 40s.
Rain and snow will be more consistent Friday as the main bands of the system sweep across the region. Rain rates will mostly stay at a quarter to three quarters of an inch per hour. At times, rainfall rates could reach an inch per hour.
With moderate to heavy rain rates, urban flooding from excessive run-off could cause flooding of low-lying areas. A flood advisory is in effect until 10:00 am for the entire region until 10:00 am Friday. High rain rates could trigger debris flows. A flood watch is in effect until 6:00 pm Saturday for the Ventura and Santa Barbara County mountains, Santa Ynez Range, South Coast, and Ventura coast and valleys.
A blizzard warning is now in effect in the Santa Barbara and Ventura County mountains, and expires at 4:00 pm Saturday. Gusts could reach 65 to 80 mph, with Ventura County on the higher end of that range. Visibility will be near zero and travel nearly impossible, even for emergency crews. There is a winter storm warning in the San Luis Obispo County mountains until 4:00 pm Saturday with snow and gusts up to 65 mph. Wind gusts could reach over 50 mph with dangerous wind chills.
In total, we could see 1 to 6 inches of snow above 1,500 feet, 6 to 12 inches above 2,500 feet, 2 to 5 feet above 4,500 feet, and isolated patches of 7 to 8 feet of snowfall at high elevations. For rainfall, we could see 2 to 5 inches in coastal and valleys, and 5 to 10 inches in foothills and low mountain elevations over the several-day period.
A high surf advisory remains in effect on the Central Coast with 6 to 10 foot breaking waves until 8:00 am Saturday. It begins on the Ventura Coast with 3 to 6 foot breaking waves at 10:00 am Friday, also lasting into Saturday morning.
A wind advisory expires at 4:00 pm Friday for the SLO valleys, as well as for the Central Coast, Southwest Coast, west Santa Ynez Range, and Cuyama and Santa Ynez Valleys. It goes into effect at 10:00 am Friday, expiring at 1:00 am Saturday for the Southeast Coast, East Santa Ynez Range, and Ventura coast and valleys. Wind speeds will be 20 to 35 mph, and gusts upwards of 50 mph.
Shower chances linger Saturday. The low will wobble over the region to the east, causing instability. There is a chance of thunderstorms, hail, or even waterspouts. There is also potential for the storm to stall over Ventura and LA Counties on its way out.
We get a brief breather on Sunday with mostly dry conditions and more sun. A second system will move in with more rain and snow showers Monday. Chances will continue through midweek.
