Central Coast braces for another soaking as storms line up

After a few days of relative calm, get ready for more wet weather to drench the Central Coast.

After a cloudy “transition day” Wednesday, a cold front is forecast to move into the area late Thursday morning or early Thursday afternoon, bringing gentle to moderate rain, according to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey.

The rain will continue into Thursday night, and Lindsey forecasts that the area will see between a half-inch and 0.75 inches total by the end of Thursday night.

A “pretty intense” low-pressure storm will develop off the coast of Monterey Bay on Thursday night and will start moving down the coast toward San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties Friday, Lindsey said.

That storm is expected to produce strong winds that will gust up to 50 mph and heavy rain that will total between 1.75 and 3.25 inches, Lindsey said.

“It looks like a really strong storm,” Lindsey said.

He predicted that the rain will be especially heavy on Highway 101 between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which in the past has caused mudslides — most notably the La Conchita slide in 2005 that killed 10 people. Lindsey forecast that area could receive between 3 and 5 inches of rain Friday.

The rain is predicted to turn into scattered showers Saturday morning and end by Saturday afternoon. More rain is expected Monday and Tuesday.

This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Central Coast braces for another soaking as storms line up."