While most of Santa Barbara County had a sunny and clear Presidents Day on Monday, rain and cooler temperatures are on the way for later in the week.
“It’s a very large, cold storm system that will linger over California during the Wednesday through Saturday night period,” National Weather Service meteorologist David Sweet said. “It will start to impact the Santa Barbara area Tuesday afternoon, starting with cooler temperatures and very strong winds.”
According to the National Weather Service, 1 to 2 inches of rain are expected by Saturday, and the Santa Ynez Mountains could see a couple inches of snow as low as 2,500 feet.
Sweet said the storm will not be as heavy as the January storms, and no serious problems with flooding are expected.
The main impacts of the storm will be the blustery conditions — with winds at about 35 mph and gusts to 65 mph Tuesday — and much colder temperatures.
The high temperatures during this storm period will be in the 50s, and the lows will be in the upper-30s to mid-40s.
Wednesday is expected to be mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain, while showers are likely Wednesday night through Saturday with a 60% to 80% chance of rain.
“It won’t stop raining until Saturday night,” Sweet said.
Santa Barbara County is expected to get a break from the rain on Sunday, just before another storm system comes in late Monday through Tuesday, Sweet said.
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