Central Coast Braces for Holiday Storm Bands as Cold Front Arrives Sunday
Forecasters urge holiday travelers to prepare for potentially heavy rain with details still evolving.
Overview
- Wind advisories are in effect into early Thursday for interior Santa Barbara and Ventura mountains with gusts up to 60 mph and peaks near 50 mph reported in the Los Padres high country.
- Thursday stays unseasonably warm, with 70s at the coast and upper 70s to low 80s in some valleys before a cooling trend begins Friday as the ridge weakens.
- A cold front is expected Sunday morning, likely bringing light showers to parts of San Luis Obispo County and marking the start of a wetter pattern.
- Multiple storm bands are forecast around Dec. 24–26, with heavier rain on Christmas Eve, patchier rain Christmas Day, and another heavy band the day after that.
- Totals could reach several inches regionwide, especially in higher terrain, and forecasters caution that timing and intensity may shift with the greatest impacts currently anticipated on Christmas Day.