Forecast: Partly cloudy skies today, rain on Wednesday
The full moon rises above the mountains Friday as seen from Stearns Wharf. It’ll be a different view Wednesday in Santa Barbara if the predicted rain starts to fall.
Two storm systems are expected to roll in later this week, potentially bringing in some widespread rain and high mountain snow for the holidays.
On Monday, people enjoyed mild highs with some clouds. It was 63 at the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, 57 in Santa Maria and a warmer 64 in Santa Ynez. There was a chilly high of 48 in Lompoc, 64 in New Cuyama and a nice 61 in Goleta.
Those numbers are from the National Weather Service.
On Monday night, it was expected to be below freezing at 26 in New Cuyama. The weather service also reported lows of 42 at the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, 45 in Santa Maria, 39 in Santa Ynez and a cold 35 in Goleta.
Other than rain later in the week, temperatures are expected to remain more or less the same. The weather service predicts highs today of 62 in Santa Barbara, 63 in Santa Maria, 63 in Santa Ynez, 63 in Lompoc, 66 in New Cuyama and 60 at UCSB.
On Wednesday, light rain is predicted, expanding from the western Ventura County mountains northward into Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County by afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Heavier rainfall will likely begin Wednesday night into Thursday morning with most southern areas not getting the full storm system until daylight on Thursday.
Most coastal and valley locations will range from 0.5-1.5 inches of rain through Thursday night and are likely to remain under 0.5 inches per hour, according to the weather service.
It’s possible that a winter advisory may be needed for the foothills and mountains due to the combination of winds and snow at higher resort levels. Both the rain and snow could impact travel during the holiday weekend.
email: fmcfarland@newspress.com
