Good afternoon, Central Coast!
A storm is approaching the region and will mainly impact us Sunday to Monday night. This cold but moisture starved system will send its first wave over the area Saturday night, rapidly deepening the marine layer.
The low clouds will become a moist blanket at times. Increased cloud cover and onshore trends will keep all but far interior areas much warmer than this morning, largely
limiting frost to region.
The system will push in some scattered showers Sunday that will linger through Monday but rainfall rates/amounts will minimal. Models have backed off on accumulations showing a lot of the area getting a third of an inch or less.
This system will be very spotty so rainfall totals will not be uniform across the area.
Snow levels will drop from 5000 to 6000 feet initially Sunday morning to 3000 to 3500 feet for much of this system, briefly down to 2500 feet in heavier showers. There is a winter weather advisory for the Santa Barbara County mountains in effect from 3p.m. Sunday to 3p.m. Monday. Plan on slippery road conditions.
Temperatures will be quite chilly Sunday through Tuesday, one of the coldest stretches of the winter, especially in regard to daytime highs, capping off a cold January.
There will be a slow warming trend Wednesday through Thursday as a ridge of high pressure builds over the area, but another trough will push in to end the week with another chance for scattered showers.
