Windy, cooler weather on the way to SLO County. When’s the next chance for rain?

On Nov. 18, My Davis Vantage Pro 2 tipping bucket rain gauge in Baywood Park recorded 1.5 inches in a half hour between 4:15 and 4:45 a.m.

This high-intensity rainfall event produced flooding throughout Baywood Park. Searching through rainfall records in the Los Osos/Baywood Park area, this was the greatest amount of rain ever recorded over such a short period.

Looking ahead, primarily sunny skies, with occasional mid to high-level clouds, and above-normal temperatures will continue through Thursday. A cold front will move through the Central Coast on Friday into Saturday with gale-force northwesterly winds, cooler temperatures, and a slight chance of a few scattered rain showers.

A moderately strong Eastern Pacific High centered about 200 miles west of the Central Coast combined with another area of high pressure over the Great Basin will produce a pattern of fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds during the night and morning, shifting and decreasing out of the northwest by the afternoon.

This offshore flow could create gusts of 35 to 45 mph near the Estero Bay area, especially along Highway 41 from Morro Bay High School heading toward Atascadero, as well as in the coastal canyons like Diablo Canyon and parts of eastern San Luis Obispo, including Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo High School, and French Hospital Medical Center.

This pattern will produce mostly clear skies, with occasional mid- to high-level clouds, cool mornings, and mild afternoons. The inland valleys (Paso Robles), coastal valleys (San Luis Obispo) and beaches will reach the 60s on Sunday, warming to the 70s Monday through Thursday.

A cold front will move over the Central Coast on Friday into Saturday. This front will create strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds, increasing clouds, and much cooler daytime temperatures, with most areas only reaching the 50s. This system will also produce a slight chance of rain showers, primarily in the mountains.

Another more muscular low-pressure system is expected to produce rain by mid-December.

Surf report

Intense storms with hurricane-force winds will continue to move into the Gulf of Alaska, creating powerful long-period northwesterly swells this week.

A 5- to 7-foot northwesterly (295-degree, deep-water) swell (with a 14- to 22-second period) is forecast along our coastline on Sunday, building to 6 to 8 feet (with an 18- to 20-second period) on Monday. This northwesterly swell will remain at this level but (with a 15- to 17-second period) on Tuesday.

Another long-period northwesterly (295-degree, deep-water) swell will arrive along the Central Coast on Wednesday through Thursday at 8- to 10-feet (with an 18- to 20-second period).

Gale-force northwesterly winds along the Northern and Central California coastline will generate an 8- to 10-foot northwesterly (305-degree, deep-water) sea and swell (with a 7- to 14-second period) Friday into Saturday.

Seawater temperatures will range between 60 and 62 degrees through Thursday, decreasing to 56 to 58 degrees on Friday through Saturday. 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.