The first in a series of storms taking aim at the Central Coast dropped relatively small amounts of rain Wednesday, with most areas receiving half an inch or less.
Another front was due to pass through on Friday, said Scott Sukup, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, but the best chance for significant rainfall will come Sunday.
San Marcos Pass was Santa Barbara County’s wettest spot as of Thursday morning, measuring 2.08 inches, according to data from the county Flood Control District.
Goleta recorded 0.60 inches, downtown Santa Barbara had 0.63 inches, and Carpinteria measured 0.49 inches.
North County communities, including Santa Maria and Lompoc, recorded only a few hundredths of an inch each.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of rain that came through with that cold front,” Sukup said of Wednesday’s storm.
Showery conditions continued overnight into Thursday, dropping another quarter to half an inch of rain.
Another cold front will pass over the region Friday, he said, and most likely will produce similar amounts of precipitation.
“Sunday is the best chance for heavier rain,” Sukup said.
Rainfall amounts from that front are expected to be between half an inch and an inch in most locations, although some south-facing slopes could see up to 2 inches, he said.
The chance of rain Thursday was set at 20 percent, rising to 60 percent Thursday night and Friday, and 80 percent Friday night.
A high-surf advisory will be in effect beginning at 4 a.m. Thursday north of Point Conception and at 6 a.m. to the south, Sukup said.
West-facing beaches to the north should see waves of 10 to 15 feet, with sets locally to 20 feet. To the south, waves should be 6 to 12 feet, with sets to 15 feet.
The high surf should peak during the day Friday and Saturday, and diminish on Sunday, he said.
Things should begin to dry out on Monday, Sukup said, and by Tuesday temperatures are expected to be above normal.
Daytime highs through the weekend are expected in the low-60s, with overnight lows in the low-50s.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.