Cooler Temperatures, Chance of Rain in the Forecast This Week

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By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk

Cold low-pressure system headed to Santa Barbara County, with showers possible beginning Tuesday night

After weeks of sunshine, a flurry of fall showers may be on the way as early as Tuesday night as a cooling trend arrives in Santa Barbara County.

The National Weather Service said Sunday that light showers are possible from Tuesday night through Thursday night, with the greatest chance of precipitation between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon.

Patchy fog and temperatures in the low 70s are forecast for Monday, Columbus Day, but the South Coast’s daytime highs are only expected to be in the mid-60s the rest of the week. Overnight lows are likely to dip to the mid-50s.

Weather officials blame a cold, upper-level low-pressure system off the Northern California coast. The system is beginning to slide south and is expected to reach the Central Coast by midweek. The weather service said thunderstorms are possible by late Wednesday afternoon north of Point Conception, and by late Wednesday south of it. With the threat of thunderstorms comes the potential for brief periods of heavy rainfall and small hail, officials said.

The system is cold enough that snow showers could occur in Southern California mountains above 7,000 feet.

» Click here for the complete National Weather Service forecast.

» Click here for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services. Click here to sign up for the OES’ messaging service. Connect with the OES on Facebook.

— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

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