Thanksgiving week is already looking to be busy with the rain system alone. To add to that, there are five advisories, warnings, and watches in place across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Monday will be the last warm day of the week for the area. Daytime highs along the coastal and inland valley communities will stay close to the upper 60s and the coastal valleys could reach the mid-70s. Offshore flow will help keep the skies clear, but it will also be a fairly breezy day with winds ranging from 15-25 miles per hour.
The winds will be a factor through Tuesday, which has prompted an advisory for the Central Coast and South Coast regions. Northwesterly winds will generally range from 20-30 miles per hour with wind gusts up to 50 mph. Also along the coast, a high surf advisory has been extended through Wednesday afternoon. During this time, the surf could range from 10-15 feet from northern San Luis Obispo County to the coast along Santa Barbara County.
For our residents in the inland valleys, mountains, and foothills across Santa Barbara County, a high wind warning has been issued through 3:00 a.m. Tuesday. This means that through early Tuesday, sustaining winds could range from 25-35 miles per hour with the possibility of wind gusts reaching 70 mph. Due to these potential high winds, widespread power outages are expected. The same area will also be under a winter storm watch through Friday morning as snow totals could reach at 12 inches.
A major shift will happen in the forecast Tuesday night as a trough low pressure drops in over the northern portion of the state. The Central Coast, especially northern SLO County, could see rain as early as Tuesday night. Rain showers will be more widespread and reach the south coast most of Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day will have off and on showers with the possibility of hail and lightning. The storm will taper off Friday, but it's likely the area could still receive some rain through Friday night. We'll get a break from the wet conditions Saturday with another opportunity for precipitation Sunday.
How much rain are we expecting? Right now, totals continue to vary. The area could see as little as .25'' but as much as 1.5''. We will continue to monitor this storm very closely so that you're prepared for your week and holiday travel plans.
