Scattered showers are covering the central coast Wednesday morning as an upper-level low-pressure system moves in over the region.
So far, rain totals have been less than one inch but areas like Santa Margarita have already received 0.92''. As of 4:15 a.m., the heavier rain cells on the radar were just off the north coast region in San Luis Obispo County and moving in over the interior valleys. Similarly, along the south coast region rain was also heavier just off the coast and over the mountains and foothills.
A winter storm warning has been issued for the Santa Barbara County mountains and foothills through 10 p.m. as snow levels continue to drop.
The rest of the day will include off and on showers. The GFS and 500-millibar maps show increased rainfall over Lompoc and the Santa Maria valley starting up again around 4 p.m. At the same time, snow will also be a possibility over the mountains and foothills in Santa Barbara County. Looking ahead to Thursday, it's likely that rain will be a factor in the forecast through the late afternoon before the system mixes out.
Daytime highs will be in the 50s for the central coast with south to southwest wind speeds up to 20 miles per hour.
