Good Tuesday evening, Central Coast!
Here's the weather forecast for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
Through Wednesday: Light offshore winds will keep our Central Coast clear and warm through midweek. Some of the wildfire smoke is making the sky look whiter in Santa Barbara County, but we do NOT have any air quality alerts. Wednesday will be another warm day. Expect the 80s in our inland valleys like Paso Robles, Atascadero, and the Santa Ynez Valley, while coastal areas from Pismo Beach to Carpinteria will see comfortable 70s.
The offshore flow pattern will dominate early morning hours but transitions to onshore winds by afternoon, particularly along our immediate coastline.
Thursday Through Weekend: A significant pattern change arrives Thursday as we return to typical May Gray conditions. Onshore flow strengthens, bringing marine layer development and cooler temperatures back to near-normal levels for late May. The marine layer may reach inland valleys as early as Thursday in some areas, though Friday or Saturday is more likely for places like Paso Robles and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Special Concern - Southwest Santa Barbara County: Residents in the Gaviota Pass area and western Santa Ynez Mountains should prepare for Sundowner wind events on Wednesday and Thursday nights. A modest 2-4 millibar offshore pressure gradient will generate gusty north winds of 25 to 40 mph, particularly impacting areas near Refugio, El Capitan, and the Gaviota corridor.
Extended Outlook - Next Week: The weather pattern remains stable with persistent onshore flow maintaining slightly below-normal temperatures. Morning marine layer and fog will be common across coastal and valley locations from Morro Bay south through the Santa Barbara area.
Another potential Sundowner event may develop Monday night across southwestern Santa Barbara County.
Los Padres National Forest Conditions: Clear, dry conditions through Wednesday with elevated fire weather concerns during Sundowner events. Marine layer influence increases Thursday onward, providing better humidity recovery for our local mountains, including the Santa Lucia and Santa Ynez ranges.
Below: All of the larger fires, the containment percentage, and the number of acres burned.
Below: Some of southern Santa Barbara County has had some smoke in the air, but all of the air quality alerts are in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties.
Below: Did it feel HOT to you today? Look at all of the 80s and some spots near 90 for high temperatures on Tuesday.
Below: Look how dry it is with some of the relative humidity levels below 10%!
Have a nice night, Central Coast!
-Jim
