Strong wind event will ease on Friday reducing fire threat
Today and Tonight:
A strong Santa Ana wind event was still in play early today, keeping gusty northeasterly winds sweeping through Southern California. The setup comes from a high-pressure system stationed over the Great Basin, creating a tight pressure gradient against lower pressure off the coast. This difference in pressure drives gusty winds, especially through mountain passes and canyons, where the Santa Ana winds channel the strongest.
Late this afternoon winds reduced dramatically and wind advisories thru SoCal were all dropped. However interestingly the Red Flag Warnings for dangerous fire weather conditions remained, mostly due to dry air (I don't see the wind component).
Air quality is impacted on the Southcoast due to smoke from the ongoing Mountain Fire and the fire near Vandenberg.
Temperatures will run slightly below average due to this influx of colder air from inland. Interior valleys, including the Santa Ynez and Southern Salinas River Valley, and the Cuyama, are seeing cool overnight lows, with temperatures in the low 30s and potentially dipping into the upper 20s.
Freeze Warnings were in effect this morning and will likely be issued again tonight into Friday morning.
Friday and Saturday: Winds are expected to calm as the Santa Ana pattern eases, allowing a slight warming trend to develop by Friday and Saturday. High pressure building over the Pacific will support this, bringing clear skies and a bit of a temperature bump for coastal areas and valleys. Interior regions, however, may stay on the cool side overnight due to efficient radiative cooling in dry, calm conditions. Expect temperatures during the day in the 70s, with Saturday being the warmest as offshore winds settle and high pressure remains in control.
Long Term Forecast (Sunday - Wednesday):
Looking to the latter half of the weekend and into next week, a cooling trend is expected as a series of weak storm systems push down from the north. The first of these will arrive Sunday, although models are not suggesting much rainfall with this system; instead, it will likely bring cooler temperatures and a chance of gusty northerly winds, especially along the Interstate 5 corridor and across southern Santa Barbara County.
