SLO County weather forecast for the week of May 23: Windy with mild temperatures
Most of last week saw relentless gale-force northwesterly winds along the coastline, mostly clear skies and cool to mild temperatures. Last Thursday, the northwesterly winds reached 44 mph sustained with gusts to 58 mph at Diablo Canyon. This upcoming workweek will see the same type of weather pattern.
A deep marine layer with pockets of mist and drizzle will develop Sunday morning. The low stratus clouds will clear from the inland and coastal valleys by the late morning and from many of the beaches by the afternoon as fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) winds develop.
Sunday’s high temperatures will range between the high-70s in the inland valleys (Paso Robles) and high-60s in the coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo). Most of the beaches will range between the mid to high-50s.
High pressure will build over the Central Coast on Monday into Tuesday. This condition will produce moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds during the morning, shifting out of the northwest and increasing to strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) levels during the afternoon and evening.
This pattern will produce clear skies and much warmer temperatures with the inland valleys reaching the low 90s and the coastal valleys warming to the high 70s. The beaches will reach the low to mid-60s.
A low-pressure system will move into the Pacific Northwest later Tuesday and will bring night and morning marine low clouds, fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) northwesterly winds and cooler temperatures to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties on Wednesday and Thursday.
High pressure will build on Friday into Memorial Day for strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds along the coastline and warmer weather primarily away from the coastline.
Surf report
Increasing northwesterly winds will generate a 4- to 6-foot northwesterly (310-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 12-second period) Sunday afternoon and night, increasing to 5 to 7 feet with the same period on Monday and will remain at this level through Saturday.
A 2- to 4-foot Southern Hemisphere (185-degree, deep-water) swell (with a 16- to 18-second period) is expected along our coastline on Sunday through Monday.
Seawater temperatures: will range between 48- and 52-degrees through Saturday.
This week’s temperatures
LOWS AND HIGHS, PASO ROBLES
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
42, 78 | 46, 90 | 52, 89 | 46, 84 | 46, 83 | 50, 85 | 49, 83 | 50, 85 |
LOWS AND HIGHS, SAN LUIS OBISPO AND COASTAL VALLEYS
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
45, 68 | 48, 78 | 52, 76 | 48, 69 | 49, 68 | 51, 70 | 50, 69 | 51, 72 |
PG&E safety tip
Be prepared during wildfire season. Find information safety information about wildfire prevention, preparedness, and support at www.pge.com.
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.