Thursday will transition to cooler and cloudier conditions
Our brief ridge of high pressure, which brought us warm Wednesday temperatures, will make a swift exit to the east. The marine layer will be more extensive Wednesday evening, and may be dense in some areas overnight. There may be patchy drizzle with the marine layer by Thursday morning, and skies will have slow or little clearing.
Thursday's low temperatures will be in the 30s to 40s. High temperatures will cool down by a few degrees, putting much of the region in the low to mid 60s, with a smattering of northern areas in the upper 50s.
Breezy west to southwesterly winds will pick up across the Central Coast in the afternoon, and it will stay windy in San Luis Obispo County at night. A large trough will move from the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast.
The frontal system will bring a chance of rain to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties by late Thursday or early Friday, spreading rain chances southeast through the day. Southwesterly winds will be gustier. Residual moisture will linger into Saturday and temperatures will cool yet further. Most areas will stay under 60 degrees.
In total, we are expecting up to 1.5 inches of rain with the highest amounts in the foothills and mountains. Significant impacts are not expected. Snow levels are will start at 6,000 feet on Friday night, falling to 4,000 feet by Saturday night. We are expecting 5 to 10 inches of snow above 7,000 feet, 2 to 5 inches above 5,500 feet, and light accumulations above 4,500 feet.
There is a high surf advisory from 4:00 am Friday to 4:00 am Monday on the Central and Ventura County coasts. Breaking waves will be 10 to 15 feet and 7 to 10 feet respectively. Surf will be highest on west or northwest-facing beaches.
Winds will shift more west or northwesterly on Sunday, staying gusty. They will be strongest in Southwest Santa Barbara County. Sunday and Monday will be mostly dry and temperatures will only recover by a degree or two. There is a slight chance that another weak system could bring a small amount of rain to our northernmost areas on Tuesday.
