Another chance for rain is in the forecast for SLO County. Here’s what to expect this week

Santa Lucia winds will bring dry and warmer conditions this weekend, followed by gentle southerly winds and rain on Monday morning. By Monday afternoon and evening, strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds and a few scattered showers will develop.

A transitory ridge of high pressure over California will generate moderate to fresh (13 to 18 mph) Santa Lucia winds during the night and morning, maintaining clear to partly cloudy skies and warmer temperatures through the weekend. Highs will range from the low to mid-60s across inland valleys, coastal valleys, and beaches, while overnight lows will drop to the upper 30s inland and the low to mid-40s near the coast.

A low-pressure system will approach Northern California on Sunday night, bringing an associated cold front through the Central Coast on Monday morning.

This system will produce gentle to moderate (8 to 18 mph) southerly winds and light to moderate rainfall. In the cold front’s wake, expect strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds, partly cloudy skies, and a few scattered showers.

Highs on Monday will only reach the 50s, with snow levels lowering to 4,000 feet along the coast and 3,500 feet inland. Rainfall totals will range between 0.10 and 0.33 inches.

Fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds will return during the night and morning on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing mostly clear skies and warmer temperatures.

As the sun moves northward toward the vernal equinox, spring officially begins on Thursday. In fitting fashion, a classic Central Coast Spring weather pattern will take hold, featuring strong to gale-force (25 to 38 mph) northwesterly winds in the afternoon, along with low marine clouds, fog, and mist developing overnight. This pattern is expected to persist through next Sunday.

Looking ahead, a series of cold fronts will move into Northern California the following week. While a few may produce scattered showers along the Central Coast, their primary impact will be strong pressure gradients along the coastline, leading to moderate gale-force to fresh gale-force (32 to 46 mph) northwesterly winds in the afternoons. These winds will weaken further inland.

Surf report

A 6- to 8-foot northwesterly (290-degree deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 18-second period) is forecast Saturday through Monday morning.

Northwesterly gales along the California coastline will generate 9- to 11-foot northwesterly (305-degree deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 14-second period) Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.

A 5- to 7-foot westerly (270-degree deep-water) swell (with an 8- to 13-second period) is forecast on Tuesday afternoon and night, lowering to 4 to 6 feet on Wednesday.

Gale force northwesterly winds along the California coastline will generate a 7- to 9- foot northwesterly (310-degree deep-water) sea and swell (with a 5- to 15-second period) on Thursday and will remain at this level through next Sunday.

Surface seawater temperatures will range between 52 and 54 degrees through Wednesday, lowering 50 to 52 degrees on Thursday into next Sunday.

On this date in Weather History (March 16):

1892: A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow of record for those areas. (David Ludlum)

1906: The temperature at Snake River, Wyoming, dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders, 1987)

2016: Fresh to strong (19- to 31-mph) and at times gusty Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds produced 60-degree temperature readings along the coast and in many of coastal valleys of San Luis Obispo County. At the same time, temperatures dropped to the mid-30s in the North County.

2021: The high temperature only reached 50.3 at Diablo Canyon in the wake of the cold front and combined with wind gusts of 49 mph made it feel like 39 degrees according to the wind chill calculator.

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 X @PGE_John.