Santa Barbara County is expected to cool slightly through the weekend after reaching what forecasters believe may be the warmest day of the week on Wednesday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson.

“After today, we’re looking at a cooling trend,” he said.

High temperatures along the South Coast are forecast to reach the lower-to-mid-70s on Saturday and Sunday, with mostly clear skies and calm conditions. 

Thompson described the weekend temperatures as “rather benign,” with winds expected to remain light and no sundowner wind activity forecasted.

“Go out and take advantage of it,” he said.

While no local daily heat records had been confirmed as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, Thompson said final readings wouldn’t be available until about 5 p.m.

The record for Oct. 29 from the NWS Western Regional Headquarters station at the Santa Barbara Airport is 87 degrees, set in 2015.

NWS weather stations in Oxnard and Los Angeles made new daily heat records on Tuesday, for 95 degrees and 97 degrees, respectively.

Weather Forecast for the Week

Santa Barbara hit the mid-80s on Wednesday and was expected to drop into the 70s for the weekend, as Thompson said.

Santa Maria saw heat in the high-80s on Wednesday, with temperatures expected to drop to the mid-70s as early as Thursday and persist through the weekend, the NWS forecast said.

Lompoc reached the high-70s mid-week and is expected to cool down to the low-70s by Friday. 

Solvang saw daytime temperatures reach 93 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, but the Santa Ynez Valley is forecasted to cool off significantly by Friday, with temperatures dropping to the low-80s heading into the weekend, according to the NWS.

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