Tracking strong winds Monday

We saw strong winds and cooler temperatures this weekend. High pressure begins to build in Monday, creating warmer temperatures, but winds will still be on the strong side. A Wind Advisory was issued by the National Weather Service and will go into effect starting 3pm and continuing until 3am. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the higher elevations of the Santa Barbara interior mountains until 6am. A High Surf Advisory is in effect for west facing beaches, where waves could be 8-12ft in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara counties and 4-8ft in Ventura county beaches. We might see a few areas of fog to start the morning but all clouds will clear nicely by the afternoon. Highs will climb back into the 60s, still a few degrees below average but a welcome warming trend.

The warming trend continues Tuesday and temperatures will warm into the 60s and 70s. Some areas of fog may develop, but overall visibility should not be too much of a concern. Winds will be something to keep an eye on, especially early in the morning. The Wind Advisory will likely be allowed to expire by 3am, so expect calmer conditions by the afternoon. Overall, it will be a great day to be outside!

Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week, with some areas heating to above average temperatures. We have a slight chance for showers to develop Wednesday afternoon, but rain amounts will be even lighter than the previous storm and some areas will stay dry. A significant storm is set to impact us into the weekend. Models still have a wide array of outcomes but this is something to closely monitor as the forecast could change significantly over the next few days. As of now, it appears that the rain could begin as early as Friday and rainfall amounts could spike upwards of 2-3inches. This will be followed closely over the next few days.