Friday was a nice break between systems and was a mostly dry day. Temperatures remained cool and below seasonal average, with partly cloudy skies. A significant and powerful storm system will move in over the weekend, bringing consistent, widespread moderate to heavy rainfall for several hours. An upper low from the North and from the West will combine, tap into the moisture from the Atmospheric River, and park itself over the Central Coast for many hours.
Light rainfall will begin Saturday afternoon, with the heaviest rain beginning between late morning and early afternoon Sunday and lingering into early Monday. Projected rainfall totals are between 3-6 inches, meaning there will be a serious concern of flash-flooding in the entire region. The South Coast and Ventura County are expected to get hit the hardest by this storm system.
Several Weather Alerts have already been issued by the National Weather Service, with more expected to pop up as the event begins. A Flood Watch has been issued for San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. It will be in effect from 1am Sunday morning until 4pm Tuesday afternoon. Expect flooding of roadways, creeks, and streams, with concern for the Ventura River flooding.