Rain showers linger and snow elevations drop Tuesday and Wednesday
Rain showers continue Tuesday, and temperatures are staying cool. Highs will be up to the mid 50s for coastal areas and up to the low 50s for the interior.
A series of systems, stemming from an upper low in the Pacific Northwest, will keep sweeping through the West Coast. The main trough will swing through Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning with heavy rain at times.
We have already had up to half an inch of rain in southern coastal areas and up to an inch or more in northern coastal areas and foothills. We have potential to double these totals through Wednesday.
Snow continues in the mountains of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, down to 3,000 feet Tuesday, with levels possibly dropping to 1,500 feet Wednesday. A winter weather advisory upgrades to a winter storm warning at 1:00 pm Tuesday, and lasts until 10:00 pm Wednesday.
In total, we can expect up to a half foot of snow above 3,000 feet, and up to 16 inches above 5,000 feet, with some localized areas up to 20 inches of snow. Gusts will increase to 60 mph as the warning goes into effect.
A wind advisory is in effect from noon Tuesday to 4:00 am Wednesday in the SLO interior valleys and mountains. Southwest winds will be 15 to 30 mph, with gusts around 45 mph.
A high surf advisory is in effect for the Central Coast from 7:00 am Tuesday to 10:00 pm Wednesday, and for the Ventura Coast from 1:00 am Wednesday to 1:00 pm Thursday. Breaking waves will be 10 to 13 feet and 4 to 7 feet respectively.
The low will drop into interior California Wednesday morning before moving east by the evening. Showers will taper off.
A weak ridge of high pressure will develop Thursday and stick around through Friday or Saturday. Temperatures will take a little leap up, putting some cities back into the 60s. Low temperatures, by contrast, will fall to the 30s.
Another upper low will form in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. Temperatures will begin to decrease again, and cloud coverage will increase to partly cloudy.
