PG&E Weather Forecast

04/14/2025

A trough of low pressure along the California coast will bring a British Isles vibe to the Central Coast this week, with pockets of dense fog, mist, and drizzle expected overnight and in the morning.

For the complete forecast, please visit:

San Luis Obispo Tribune:
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/weather-news/article303955386.html?tbref=hp

Santa Maria Times: https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/columnists/john_lindsey/

03/12/2025

Batten down the hatches!

A powerful cold front will sweep through this afternoon and evening, bringing moderate-gale force to fresh gale-force (32 to 46 mph) southerly winds and periods of heavy rain. The most intense winds and rainfall will coincide with the frontal passage between 3 and 7 p.m. as it moves southward over the Central Coast. 🌬️🌧️

Following the front, an upper-level trough will arrive Thursday, ushering in strong to gale-force (25-38 mph) northwesterly winds and convective showers, with a significant chance of thunderstorms due to an influx of cold air creating an unstable atmosphere. Highs will struggle to reach the mid-50s, and snow levels may drop as low as 3,000 feet along the coast and 2,500 feet inland across eastern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. ⛈️🌨️

Rainfall totals through Thursday: Expect 1 to 2 inches across most areas, with significantly higher amounts in the Santa Lucia Mountains due to orographic enhancement. 📏

As if the stormy weather wasn’t dramatic enough, a Blood Moon will make a fleeting appearance late Thursday night into early Friday morning. Breaks in the clouds and rain showers could reveal the first total lunar eclipse since 2022—beginning at 8:57 p.m., totality from 11:26 p.m. to 12:31 a.m. The moon will glow deep copper hue as Earth’s atmosphere filters out blue and green wavelengths of sunlight. 🌛

Another cold front arrives Friday morning, bringing fresh to strong (19-31 mph) southerly winds, rain, and cold temperatures. By Friday afternoon, increasing northwesterly winds and scattered showers will taper off, with drier conditions expected by Friday night. Total rainfall amounts on Friday should range from 0.10 to 0.33 of an inch, with higher amounts in the coastal mountains. ☔️

Dry and warmer weather will develop this weekend.
🌄

02/13/2025

Here is a weather forecast update for the strongest storm so far this year.

A powerful 982-millibar low-pressure system, strengthened by vigorous upper-level winds, off the Northern California coastline will move eastward. Two moisture-rich cold fronts associated with this storm—will bring intense atmospheric and oceanographic conditions tonight into Thursday.

Expect moderate gale-force to fresh gale-force (32-46 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph), south-southwesterly winds, starting tonight and continuing into Thursday afternoon, decreasing Thursday night. Fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) northwesterly winds will develop on Friday, Valentine's Day. The peak of the south-southwesterly winds is expected Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon, decreasing Thursday night.

Moderate to heavy rain is expected tonight into Thursday afternoon, turning to convective rain showers Thursday night into Friday morning. Due to the instability of the atmosphere, a chance of thunderstorms could develop with the frontal passages on Thursday.

NOAA's High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model indicates total precipitation from today through Friday morning is forecast to range between 1.5 and 3.0 inches. These south-southwesterly winds will create orographic enhancement, pushing totals as high as 8 inches in areas of Santa Lucia mountains like Rocky Butte. In fact, most of the coastal mountain ranges above 1,500 feet could see as much as 5+ inches of rainfall.

These southerly gales will generate 8- to 10-foot southwesterly (225-degree shallow-water) seas on Thursday, followed by a 13- to 15-foot west-northwesterly (280-degree deep-water) swell (with a 15- to 17-second period) on Friday.

Dry conditions will return for the weekend, with long-range models suggesting continued dry weather through the end of February.

02/11/2025

I am concerned about Thursday's storm, and here is why.

Strong southwesterly wind events are rare along the Central Coast, as winds typically come from the northwest, northeast, or southeast. When these uncommon wind directions do occur, they can wreak havoc on trees. Many coastal trees shaped by persistent northwesterly winds have grown into streamlined profiles. Sudden southwesterly gusts can break limbs or topple trees.

A 1,010-millibar low-pressure system will move through the Central Coast on Wednesday morning and afternoon, bringing gentle to moderate (8 to 18 mph) southeasterly winds and gentle to moderate rain. Total rainfall is expected to range from 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch, with up to 2 inches possible in the Santa Lucia Mountains due to the southerly flow.

Following closely behind, a powerful 980-millibar low-pressure system—strengthened by vigorous upper-level winds and a moisture-rich cold front—will bring intense atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. Expect moderate to fresh gale-force (32-46 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph), southwesterly winds, and moderate to heavy rain. The peak of the southwesterly winds is expected late Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon, decreasing Thursday night.

The southwesterly gales will generate 8- to 10-foot southwesterly (240-degree shallow-water) seas on Thursday, followed by a 13- to 15-foot west-northwesterly (280-degree deep-water) swell (with a 15- to 17-second period) on Friday.

Fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) northwesterly winds and convective showers will develop on Friday, Valentine's Day, as an upper-level trough moves over the Central Coast. Total precipitation from Thursday through Friday is forecast to range between 1.5 and 3.5 inches. These southwesterly winds will create orographic enhancement, pushing totals as high as 8 inches in areas of Santa Lucia mountains like Rocky Butte.

Dry conditions will return for the weekend, with long-range models suggesting continued dry weather through the end of February.

12/10/2024

A weak cold front will pass over the Central Coast on Thursday morning, bringing gentle southerly winds and light rain, with expected rainfall totals of around a tenth of an inch. ☔️ After the front moves through, fresh to strong (19 to 31 mph) northwesterly winds and partly cloudy skies will develop Thursday afternoon and evening. 🌬️

On Friday morning, moderate to fresh (8 to 18 mph) Santa Lucia (northeasterly) winds will prevail, bringing mostly clear skies, though dense morning fog may form in inland valleys. 🌤️

A stronger cold front is anticipated on Saturday, bringing more robust southerly winds and higher rainfall amounts.

11/24/2024

Here’s NOAA’s GFS 12Z model projection for rainfall accumulation on the Central Coast from Monday, November 25, through Thanksgiving Day, November 28. 🌬️🌧️Total rainfall is expected to range from 1.5 to 3.5 inches, with higher amounts in the Santa Lucia Mountains due to orographic lift.📏For the complete forecast, visit: SLO County in for a wet and windy Thanksgiving week https://sanluisobispo.com/news/weather-news/article295957649.html. ☔️🦃

11/18/2024

Trish and I had planned to head up to Oregon for Thanksgiving this week, with stops in Santa Rosa, Humboldt, Florence, and Cottage Grove to visit family. However, after reviewing surface and upper-level weather charts, we decided to stay in Los Osos.

A record-breaking bomb cyclone—a storm that drops 24 millibars (mb) or more in pressure within 24 hours—is forecasted to intensify to 938 mb (27.67 inches of mercury) off the coast of Washington by Tuesday. I've never seen such an intense storm in this region of the Pacific. This area's previous record low pressure occurred on October 24, 2021, when a mid-Pacific cyclone reached 943 mb.

For perspective, on October 12, 1962—Columbus Day—a historic storm struck Washington, Oregon, and Northern California with the power of a Category 3 hurricane. This system, originating as Typhoon Freda east of the Philippines, transitioned into an extratropical cyclone in the mid-Pacific and rapidly deepened to 955 mb (28.20 inches of mercury) about 300 miles southwest of Brookings, Oregon. Reports from that storm were staggering: at Cape Blanco, Oregon, gusts were estimated to exceed 170 knots (195 mph) after an anemometer was destroyed. Another report from the same location noted wind gusts over 145 mph, with some estimates reaching 179 mph.

This upcoming storm is expected to tap into a broad plume of moisture stretching to the Hawaiian Islands, known as an "Atmospheric River" (AR) or "Pineapple Express." The resulting heavy rainfall will impact areas from Sonoma County northward into southern Oregon, starting Tuesday night and continuing through Friday night before tapering off on Saturday. Forecasted rainfall totals range from 12 to 24 inches over this period. Along the coastline, southerly winds are anticipated to reach hurricane force, and offshore sea and swell heights are expected to exceed 10 meters (over 33 feet).

Along the Central Coast, rainfall amounts are expected to range between 0.3 and 0.5 of an inch, with the far northwestern part of the county getting as much as one inch on Saturday. Sections of the Big Sur coastline are forecast to receive between 1 and 2 inches between Friday night and Saturday. Dry conditions should develop on Sunday.

11/03/2024

Heads up, everyone. At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, we fall back to Pacific Standard Time. 🍂The sunrise and sunset times will occur approximately one hour earlier. 🌅

10/30/2024

Good morning from California’s Central Coast! 🌄

10/29/2024

This morning truly feels like the first taste of fall along the Central Coast, with cold, crisp, and clear conditions. 🍂 🥶☀️

10/23/2024

Although it's not officially confirmed, this rainy season is showing characteristics of a typical La Niña pattern. The storm track is delivering abundant precipitation to the Pacific Northwest 🌧️, while Central California is expected to stay mostly dry through mid-November⛅️. Here is the "GFS Total Accumulated Precipitation" prediction through 06z Friday, November 8th.

10/22/2024

This is sad!

The landmark restaurant once had four locations throughout San Luis Obispo County.