Todd Boehr cools off after his daily swim at Leadbetter Beach Wednesday with a five gallon jug of water.
The intense heat Santa Barbara has experienced the last couple of days is expected to continue for a few more days before a cool off begins over the weekend into early next week.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist David Sweet, the temperature in the city of Santa Barbara is expected to reach a high of 94 degrees today. UCSB will be several degrees cooler, reaching a high of 86 degrees, with areas by the coast at large being significantly cooler than inland areas.
Friday is forecast to be the hottest day of this heatwave, reaching a high temperature of 96 degrees in the city of Santa Barbara. This will be followed by a somewhat cooler but still hot weekend, with the city experiencing high temperatures of 88 and 85 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Weekend temperatures at UCSB will also follow this pattern with lesser temperatures, 81 degrees on Saturday and 77 degrees on Sunday. Mr. Sweet added that areas closest to the beach at UCSB and in Goleta could reach temperatures as mild as the high 60s on Sunday.
The cool down is expected to arrive Monday, with temperatures in the city of Santa Barbara and UCSB both expected to fall below the 80s. The city’s forecasted high temperature is 79 degrees, while UCSB’s is 74.
“There is relief on the way,” Mr. Sweet said.
In North County, Santa Maria is expected to reach a high of 94 degrees today, followed by 92 degrees Friday, 85 on Saturday, 80 on Sunday, and 79 on Monday.
Santa Maria set a record high on Wednesday, reaching a high of 102 degrees. This breaks the previous record of 101 set in 1961, according to the Weather Service.
Lompoc will be somewhat cooler, reaching an 87 degree high today, 89 on Friday, 82 on Saturday, 76 on Sunday, and 74 degrees on Monday.
Santa Ynez is also expected to follow a similar cooling trend by the end of the week, but with significantly higher temperatures than other Santa Barbara County localities.
Today’s high temperature in Santa Ynez is 99 degrees. The Weather Service predicts this will be followed by a high of 97 on Friday, 94 on Saturday, 88 on Sunday, and 88 again on Monday.
email: jgrega@newspress.com
