The weather shift that has been in the forecast all week is finally here. A sharp cooling trend will commence Friday as a cold upper low moves in from the north over the area. The result will be daytime highs in the 50s and 60s along the coast and 60s and 70s across valley locations. This will be quite the change compared to the temperatures that were in the 80s and 90s Thursday.
Aside from the cold temperatures, gusty northwesterly to westerly winds are back in the forecast. It's possible that wind speeds could range from 30-40 miles per hour Friday with gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The increased winds have prompted a wind advisory over Santa Barbara County through early Saturday morning. The gusty winds are expected to last through the end of the weekend before tapering off and shifting out of the northeast by Monday.
A high surf advisory has also been issued for San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County-area beaches. The advisory will last until 4 p.m. Monday as breaking waves could reach 12-16 feet.
Rain chances continue to remain in the forecast and most modeling agrees that the Central Coast will get some precipitation in the overnight hours leading into Saturday morning. As the low-pressure system passes over the state, the Central Coast could receive 0.10''-0.33'' of rain over the weekend, and snow levels could drop to 4,000 feet. After the initial low passes, a second upper level low is expected Sunday that could also bring scattered showers to the area.
Following a cold, wet, and windy weekend, the start of next week will include temperatures in the 60s but mostly sunny skies.
