SLO County weather forecast for the week of Feb. 14: Windy, spring-like weather
A nearly stationary Eastern Pacific High (1,030 mb) parked about 900 miles to the west of the Central Coast will produce a weather pattern more reminiscent of spring than winter and is expected to persist through next week. This condition will create strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds, areas of night and morning marine low clouds, mild temperatures, and dry conditions.
Gusty Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds on Sunday morning will produce clear skies, except for areas of fog in the inland valleys. The winds will shift out of the northwest and will reach strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) levels on Sunday afternoon and night (Valentine’s Day).
High temperatures will top out in the mid-60s, followed by colder nights with lows in the 30s and 40s.
The northwesterly winds will decrease to moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) levels on Monday (President’s Day), which will allow the marine layer with areas of fog and mist to develop in the coastal regions as a weak and dry cold front moves through the Central Coast.
Strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds and partly cloudy to mostly clear skies will follow Tuesday into Wednesday.
A pattern of gusty Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds developing during night and morning, shifting out of the northwest and increasing to fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) levels during the afternoon, will commence on Thursday and will continue through next weekend. Needless to say, this pattern will continue to produce dry weather.
Surf report
The northwesterly (310-degree, deep-water) sea and swell will build to 8 to 10 feet (with a 7- to 17-second period) on Sunday through Monday, peaking at 10- to 12-feet (with a 7- to 15-second period) on Tuesday into Wednesday.
A 4- to 6-foot northwesterly (295-degree, deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 14-second period) is expected along our coastline on Thursday, becoming a 4 to 6 foot northwesterly (310-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 12-second period) by Friday. This northwesterly sea and swell will further increase to 7 to 9 feet next Saturday and Sunday.
Seawater temperatures will range between 52- and 54-degrees through Saturday.
This week’s temperatures
LOWS AND HIGHS, PASO ROBLES
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| 37, 63 | 40, 67 | 39, 67 | 35, 68 | 35, 70 | 39, 69 | 40, 66 | 40, 67 |
LOWS AND HIGHS, SAN LUIS OBISPO AND COASTAL VALLEYS
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| 44, 65 | 45, 66 | 47, 67 | 43, 68 | 43, 70 | 46, 70 | 46, 69 | 45, 68 |
PG&E safety tip
On this Valentine’s Day, many customers will celebrate with festive bundles of metallic balloons. Please securely tie a weight to all metallic balloons containing helium to prevent them from floating away. Metallic balloons that contact overhead power lines can disrupt electric service to an entire neighborhood, cause significant property damage and potentially result in serious injuries.
John Lindsey’s is PG&E’s Diablo Canyon marine meteorologist and a media relations representative. Email him at pgeweather@pge.com or follow him on Twitter @PGE_John.