Weather forecast for week of April 16: Classic Central Coast weather pattern, winds and fog

This rainy season (July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023) has been wet. So far, the rain gauge at Cal Poly (home of climatology for San Luis Obispo) has recorded 47.66 inches of rain; on average, the rain gauge has logged approximately 23.40 inches since 1869. The highest amount of precipitation ever recorded at Cal Poly occurred during the 1968-69 rainfall season when 54.53 inches of rain fell from the sky, followed by 47.85 inches during the 1977-78 season.

The Paso Robles Airport has seen 19.79 inches of rain this rainy season. Since 1948, 12.53 inches of rain on average. The most significant amount of rainfall recorded at the airport was 25.56 inches in the 1994-95 season.

Persistent northwesterly (onshore) winds along the coastline will allow the marine layer with pockets of fog and mist to develop on Sunday, with clearing in the afternoon as the northwesterly winds increase to fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) levels. High temperatures on Sunday will reach the mid-70s in the inland valleys (Paso Robles), the low-60s in the coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo), and the mid-50s along the beaches.

A series of storms will move through the Pacific Northwest this upcoming work week from Monday through Saturday. These low-pressure systems will produce a classic Central Coast spring weather pattern with areas of fog and mist during the night, clearing during the morning as moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds develop. These offshore winds will be followed by strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph with gusts to 45 mph) northwesterly winds during the afternoon and evening.

Increasing high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere will produce a gradual warming trend, with inland valleys reaching the high 70s to low-80s and the mid-70s in the coastal valleys by Friday. The long-range models do not indicate rain through the first week of May. In other words, you can probably put a fork in the 2022-23 rain season as it may be done.

Surf report

A 2- to 4-foot northwesterly (290-degree, deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 11-second period) is expected along our coastline on Sunday morning. Increasing northwesterly winds along the California coastline will generate 5- to 7-foot northwesterly (310-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 14-second period) on Sunday afternoon, further increasing 6- to 8-feet (with a 5- to 12-second period) during the afternoon and night on Monday through Saturday.

Keep your thickest wetsuits available; seawater temperatures will range between 50 and 52 degrees through Sunday, decreasing to 49 to 51 degrees on Monday into Saturday due to increasing amounts of upwelling caused by the gale- force northwesterly winds along the coastline.

This week’s temperatures

LOWS AND HIGHS, PASO ROBLES

LOWS AND HIGHS, SAN LUIS OBISPO AND COASTAL VALLEYS

John Lindsey is a retired PG&E marine meteorologist. Email him at JohnLindseyLosOsos@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @PGE_John.