Weather forecast for week of Dec. 13 — Storms bring light rain, clouds to SLO County
A series of storms will move through the Pacific Northwest over the next few weeks and will produce much-needed precipitation in Northern California.
In a classic La Niña pattern, most of the rain will remain north of Big Sur, with the Central Coast will only receiving drizzle or light rain as these storms are significantly weaken by the so-called “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge of High Pressure” off our coastline.
High temperatures this week will range between the mid-60s in the inland valleys (Paso Robles) and along the beaches and low 70s in the coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo). Overnight lows will drop to low 30s in the inland areas and low 40s in the coastal valleys and along the beaches.
Marine low clouds with areas of fog and mist will develop along the coastline on Sunday morning.
A cold front will dissipate as it travels from north to south through San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties on Sunday afternoon and night with gentle southerly winds, increasing clouds and drizzle or light rain.
Areas north of Pismo Beach could receive as much as a tenth of an inch of precipitation, while locations to the south only a few hundreds.
In the Sierra Nevada, snow elevations will drop to 4,500 and 5,500 feet with heavy mountain snowfall above 5,500 feet with travel likely to be impacted through Monday.
This system will be followed by a pattern of moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) and at times gusty Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds during the night and morning, shifting out of the north to northwest during the afternoon on Monday through Wednesday as High pressure builds over California. These winds are expected to produce mostly clear and dry conditions with cool mornings and mild afternoons.
Another cold front will wash out over the Central Coast on Thursday morning with increasing clouds and areas of drizzle. In this system’s wake, strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds and partly cloudy skies will develop on Thursday afternoon into Friday.
A more robust low-pressure system may produce a chance of rain on December 21.
Remember, this is a long-range forecast and will probably change and any storm that does manage to break down the high-pressure ridge will be weak and likely produce little, if any rainfall.
Seawater temperatures will range between 53 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit through Saturday.
Surf report
A 10- to 12-foot northwesterly (310-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 7- to 17-second period) is forecast along our coastline on Sunday afternoon will continue at this level all the way through Saturday.
This week’s temperatures
LOWS AND HIGHS, PASO ROBLES
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
38, 63 | 38, 61 | 30, 63 | 30, 65 | 33, 65 | 31, 64 | 31, 66 | 32, 67 |
LOWS AND HIGHS, SAN LUIS OBISPO AND COASTAL VALLEYS
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
45, 64 | 47, 67 | 42, 70 | 40, 71 | 43, 70 | 42, 70 | 42, 72 | 44, 71 |
PG&E safety message
Ensure that your family knows what to do when extreme weather, natural disasters or other dangerous events occur. Such events can happen quickly and catch you off guard. Make it a priority to create an emergency plan today. To learn more, please visit www.pge.com.