SLO County to weather storms next week

A series of storms is set to drench the Central Coast next week, followed by more wet weather the following week, according to a local meteorologist.

Persistent northeasterly winds will ensure dry and clear skies on New Year’s Day, resulting in a cold morning and mild afternoon, PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey said Thursday. But the weather pattern will undergo a major change over the weekend as winds will shift out of the south Saturday, leading to increased humidity levels, warmer air temperatures and areas of low clouds along the coast.

“It looks like we’re in a wet weather pattern,” he said.

According to Lindsey, the first in a series of low-pressure systems will swing through the Central Coast on Sunday, bringing rain showers and southeasterly winds of 25 to 38 mph. “I don’t think it’s going to amount to much rain,” the meteorologist said.

A vigorous cold front will usher in the second storm in the series on Tuesday and Wednesday, Lindsey said, with moderate to heavy rain and gale-force southeasterly winds.

Lindsey predicted that storm will dump “probably the most rain we’ve had since the July storm” that brought lightning, thunder and record-breaking rainfall to San Luis Obispo County and knocked out power to more than 10,000 customers. Total rainfall amounts could range between 2 and 3 inches, he wrote in an email, while snow levels are expected to range between 3,000 and 4,500 feet north to south.

Lindsey expects more Central Coast showers on Jan. 7, 8 and 9, followed by a break in the weather Jan. 10. Then, he said, another series of storms will move through the region on Jan. 11 and 12.

Lindsey said the wet weather will be accompanied by big waves, with a 9- to 11-foot northwesterly swell arriving Sunday. A 10- to 12-foot west-northwesterly swell will arrive along the coastline Tuesday, he said, increasing to 15 to 17 feet on Wednesday before dropping to 13 to 15 feet on Jan. 7.

Another high-energy swell could arrive along the San Luis Obispo coastline on Jan. 9 and 11, Lindsey said.

“The storm track is shifting further southward and strengthening,” he said. “That’s definitely an indication of El Niño influencing our weather pattern. … It’s definitely promising.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "SLO County to weather storms next week."