Good Monday evening, Central Coast!
Here's your Central Coast weather forecast focused on San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties:
Current Pattern Through Tuesday: Mostly cloudy to partly cloudy skies will persist across both counties as an upper-level low-pressure system, positioned just south of Monterey, tracks southeast into Arizona by late Tuesday. This cold air mass overhead is destabilizing the atmosphere, creating shower potential mainly in the inland areas and mountains.
Rain Chances: While scattered showers are possible through Tuesday, moisture content remains limited. Most precipitation activity will be confined to well inland locations, particularly in the Santa Lucia Mountains, Santa Ynez Mountains, and the Los Padres National Forest areas of both counties. Coastal and valley locations will likely remain dry, though some isolated shower activity cannot be ruled out entirely. Overall, rain impacts will be minimal to none for most areas.
Wind and Temperatures: Expect breezier than normal onshore winds through Tuesday across the region. The cold air mass will keep high temperatures running below seasonal averages, with mid-60s common through Tuesday.
Below is the cooler upper-level low pressure that kept us in the 60s on Monday, and that trend continues into Tuesday, with most rain chances staying well inland.
Below are the cooler high temperatures that continue into Tuesday!
Major Pattern Shift Wednesday-Thursday: A dramatic weather pattern change begins Wednesday as the upper-level low quickly gives way to building high pressure. Light offshore flow develops Thursday morning as onshore pressure gradients weaken significantly.
This setup will trigger a sharp temperature jump from Tuesday to Thursday, with highs climbing into the mid-70s to mid-80s range across both counties.
Extended Outlook - Friday Through Next Week: High confidence exists for continued high pressure building over the Central Coast into early next week. The 500-millibar heights are forecast to peak around 588 decameters by Monday or Tuesday of next week. That simply means it's going to heat up like it did in March!
Below is the strong upper-level high-pressure ridge that builds this weekend into next week.
Mountain and desert areas of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties will see continued warming Friday through next Tuesday. High temperatures in the mid-80s to mid-90s are virtually certain by Sunday and Monday, with north county areas reaching over 90 degrees by Friday, as mentioned.
Have a great night, Central Coast!
-Jim
