Warmer weekend, tracking Gifford fire & heat

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Winds on Friday afternoon are sustained between 10-15mph, mostly blowing east and slightly to the south, where a fire is burning near the Highway 166 east of Santa Maria. No wind alerts have been issued.

For the rest of the region, onshore winds weaken this weekend boosting our temperatures by a couple degrees.

Sunday and Monday are going to be the warmest days before a minor cooldown Tuesday.

By Wednesday or Thursday of next week, our area will begin to warmup toward temperatures that may be 5 to 10 degrees above normal.

By then, the Pacific Northwest cool low pressure system will weaken and move north, allowing southeast heat to move west into southern California and our area. Valley temperatures may exceed 100 degrees so preparing for extra warm weather late next week is encouraged as the National Weather Service considers heat alerts for our area. More information will be released early next week.