Happy Sunday, Central Coast! Get ready for the heat because a ridge of high pressure will bring very hot weather this week, peaking on Wednesday and Thursday. These high temperatures will be well above normal for this time of year.
Reminder: Make sure you stay hydrated, drink plenty of water, and limit your sun exposure, especially on Wednesday and Thursday. Know the signs of heat exhaustion and check in on those vulnerable to the heat.
Detailed forecast: On Sunday, stratocumulus clouds decided to make their appearance across portions of California.
Due to high pressure increasing and weakening onshore flow, these clouds have not stopped temperatures from reaching into the 70s across California, with the coasts in the 60s into the low 70s.
For this time of year, these temperatures are still a few degrees below normal.
Increasing offshore flow from the north and east overnight will result in advisory-level winds Sunday evening and into Monday across the interior Santa Barbara mountains, the Santa Ynez coastal range (eastern and western portions), and the southwestern portion of the south coast.
The shift to light offshore flow, along with a warm air mass, will bring much warmer temperatures Monday and Tuesday.
The ridge of high pressure will move over the state on Monday. Daytime highs will jump 3 to 6 degrees across the coasts and 6 to 12 degrees locally, 15 degrees over the rest of the area.
Most areas away from the immediate coast will be in the 80s to the lower 90s on Monday.
While there will be a break in the winds during the day, gusty sundowner winds will make a return across the entire Santa Ynez range and the southwestern portion of the south coast Monday evening and overnight.
These winds, paired with low relative humidities, will bring elevated fire weather concerns to the southern portion of Santa Barbara County.
By Tuesday, the ridge of high pressure will flatten out, but temperatures will continue to rise. Offshore flow will continue, and skies will be clear.
-Eddie
Advisories:
A Wind Advisory is in effect for Santa Barbara County until 10 a.m., Monday, May 19, 2025. But the Wind Advisory for the south coast ends at 6 a.m.
A Gale Warning is in effect just offshore of the Central Coast until 3 a.m., Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
