Wind and rain conditions are forecast for Santa Barbara County areas this weekend and early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
A Wind Warning was issued on Saturday and will be in effect until 4 am Sunday morning for the county’s south coast and mountainous areas.
The warning indicated winds from northwest to north at 15-30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.
The winds are likely to affect the communities of Santa Bárbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, San Marcos Pass and the wild areas of San Rafael and Dick Smith, according to the meteorological service.
Stronger winds are expected along the foothills, including Montecito, and between the coast of Gaviota and the Refugio area.
Road travel in the area could be affected by gusts of wind, including highways 101, 154 and 192, as well as the Gaviota and San Marcos passages, said the NWS consultant.
The weather service warned that strong winds can move unprotected objects and make it difficult to steer, especially for a high-profile vehicle.
“Be extra careful when driving, especially if you operate a high-profile vehicle,” said the warning. “Protect objects outdoors”.
Rain is expected in most of Santa Barbara County from Sunday to Monday night, according to the NWS.
Meteorologists predicted a 50% chance of rain after midnight on Sunday, and a 40% chance of rain on Monday morning, with conditions becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon on the South Coast.
In addition, gusts of up to 25 mph are expected on Monday.
Rain is forecast to fall between 10 pm and 4 am on Sunday in Northern County areas, including Santa Maria and Lompoc. Meteorologists estimated the chance of rain at 60% on Sunday night and at 30% chance of rain before 10am on Monday.
The total amount of rain from late Sunday to Monday night is expected to range between a tenth to a quarter of an inch across the region, with higher amounts likely in mountainous areas, the NWS said in a forecasting discussion. on Saturday afternoon.
Snow levels of 5,000 to 5,500 feet were forecast for Sunday night, dropping between 4,000 and 4,500 feet on Monday morning.
Snow levels can drop to around 3,000 to 3,500 feet on Monday afternoon and are expected to fall further between 2,500 to 3,000 feet on Monday night.
Up to 4 inches of snow is possible, with the largest snow accumulation above about 4,500 feet, according to the NWS.
High temperatures in the mid 50s to 60 degrees are forecast for much of the region over the weekend, with low temperatures in the mid 40s at night to around 50 degrees.
Sunny skies are expected for Tuesday in almost the entire county.
Click here for the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service.
– Brooke Holland, editor of the Noozhawk team, can be reached at . (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.