Hard freeze warning in effect for Central Coast beginning Monday night

The National Weather Service has issued a hard freeze warning for the Central Coast beginning Monday night.

The agency is forecasting low temperatures between 24 and 28 degrees Monday night into Tuesday morning, and again Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The warning will be in effect from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday and again from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

The warning is in effect for portions of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, the NWS said. Locally, the watch includes the cities of San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cambria, San Simeon and Santa Maria.

In the SLO County interior valleys, the NWS predicts that the low temperatures could range from 15 to 25 degrees. PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey said San Luis Obispo is expected to hit 20 degrees on Tuesday morning, and Paso Robles will hit 22 degrees.

“That’s the first time this winter we’ve gone below 30 degrees in San Luis, that’ll definitely produce a hard freeze,” Lindsey said.

A hard freeze warning means temperatures could drop to 28 degrees or lower for two or more consecutive hours, the NWS said. A hard freeze can burst exposed pipes, kill crops or plants and cause hypothermia in people, livestock and outdoor pets.

During a hard freeze, the agency recommends keeping vulnerable animals and pets inside, either in a home or a barn, and taking “protective measures” to save crops and plants, such as covering them or bringing them inside. Exposed pipes should also be wrapped to prevent them from bursting, the NWS said.

The timing of the warning coincides with the “Yukon Express,” a cold air mass set to move from western Canada down into California beginning Monday through Wednesday.

This story was originally published February 18, 2018 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Hard freeze warning in effect for Central Coast beginning Monday night."