Southwesterly flow is back in the forecast Thursday and it's impacting the weather conditions on the Central Coast.
First, the southwesterly push is helping mix out smoke conditions Thursday, which in turn is improving the air quality. The air quality alert for San Luis Obispo County is set to expire at 11 a.m. and air quality levels will be moderate. As for Santa Barbara County, most air quality levels across the county will stay between good and moderate. Those with sensitivities or pre-existing health conditions may still want to consider limiting time outside.
A few things are going to influence the sky conditions and temperatures Thursday. First, a low-pressure system from the Pacific Northwest will play a role in cooling daytime highs heading into the weekend. For Thursday, inland valleys are expected to mainly stay in the 80s, while the coastal valleys will range from the low 70s to the mid-80s. As for the beaches, as the marine layer continues to linger, most temperatures will likely stay between the mid to upper 60s.
Tropical Storm Karina, west of Baja California, will bring increased cloud cover to most of the Central Coast and Southern California. In addition, this will also elevate surf for Southern California beaches.
Northwesterly winds will be fairly mild Thursday for most of San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara Counties and wind speeds will likely peak at 15 miles per hour. The south coast region, between Gaviota and Refugio, will have moderate to gusty winds over the next few nights with wind gusts up to 30 mph.
