SLO County weather forecast for the week of March 12: More rain ahead

Here is this week’s weather forecast by PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey.

Sunday’s Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds produced clear skies and mild temperatures in the coastal regions of San Luis Obispo County, but partly to mostly cloudy weather in the inland valleys east of the Santa Lucia Mountains.

A trough of low pressure along the West Coast will allow a series of low-pressure systems and associated cold fronts to move through the Central Coast starting Monday night and continuing through the weekend.

The first cold front in the series will produce fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) southerly winds along the coastline and rain starting Monday night and continuing through Tuesday afternoon. Total rainfall amounts with this system are expected to range between a quarter and three quarters of an inch. Snow levels will range from 5,500 and 6,000 feet.

A low-pressure system will produce mostly cloudy skies, fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) southerly winds and rain showers throughout the day Wednesday. Total rainfall amounts from the system should range between a tenth and quarter of an inch.

A strong cold front is forecast to move across the Central Coast on Thursday afternoon into Friday with strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) southerly winds, moderate to heavy rain and heavy mountain snow. Total rainfall amounts with this system could range between 1.5 and 3inches. Another storm is forecast to move through the Central Coast on Saturday with even more rain. Current longer-range models indicate that snow levels could drop to the 3,500- and 4,500-foot range with below-normal temperatures as a deep trough of low-pressure continues to reside along the West Coast.

Surf report

Sunday’s 3- to 5-foot west-northwesterly (295-degree, deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 14-second period) will continue at this height into Monday morning. A 4- to 6-foot northwesterly (295-degree, deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 17-second period) is forecast along our coastline Monday afternoon, increasing to 6 to 8 feet (with an 8- to 15-second period) Tuesday into Wednesday.

Combined with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s northwesterly swell will be 2- to 4-foot southerly (180-degree, shallow-water) seas. A 6- to 8-foot westerly (280-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 14-period) is forecast along our coastline Thursday into Friday, increasing to 7 to 9 feet (with a 7- to 12-second period) Saturday and Sunday.

Seawater temperatures will range between 54 and 57 degrees through Friday.

Rainfall totals

Rainfall totals from Saturday across SLO County ranged from 0.27 of an inche at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden to 0.96 of an inch at Gene’s Place in San Luis Obispo. Other totals included 0.42 in Arroyo Grande, 0.55 in Atascadero, 0.51 in Cambria, 0.51 in Los Osos, 0.47 in Oceano, 0.46 at the Paso Robles Airport, 0.54 in Pismo Beach, 0.55 at Rocky Butte, 0.51 in Santa Margarita, 0.28 in Shandon and 0.67 in Templeton.

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This story was originally published March 11, 2018 at 3:42 PM with the headline "SLO County weather forecast for the week of March 12: More rain ahead."