Full Notification

The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management is advising that a high wind advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for the Santa Ynez valley and the south coast slopes, with a focus on Montecito. (See special note at bottom of page.)


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES/OXNARD HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT THURSDAY. THE HIGH WIND WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.


* WINDS AND TIMING...NORTH 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THERE WILL BRIEF PERIODS OF CALMER WINDS IN THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS EACH DAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THROUGH AND BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS OF THE SANTA YNEZ RANGE DURING THE LATE
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MORNING HOURS.


* IMPACTS...CROSS WINDS WILL CREATE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS 101 AND 154 ABOVE THE HILLS OF GAVIOTA AND GOLETA...SAN MARCOS PASS AND THE HILLS ABOVE MONTECITO. TRAVELING WILL BE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR THOSE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.


http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/scripts/getprodplus.php?banner=off&wfo=lox&pil=NPW&sid=LOX&parse=CAZ052,CAZ039


** NOTE OF SPECIAL EMPHASIS FROM NWS:


I'm sure you are well aware of the north wind forecast in Santa Barbara County for tonight through Thursday. I just wanted to reiterate to you that this event has similarities to weather conditions leading up to the Jesusita Fire in May 2009. We are looking closely at a possible high wind warning starting tonight for the Montecito area and nearby foothills of the Santa Ynez range for gusts to 60 mph or greater. Temperatures may reach into the 90s this afternoon with humidities briefly into the teens to lower 20s. With the winds overnight, temps may stay around 80 degrees in the Montecito hills with humidity recovery only in the 20 to 30 percent range. These weather parameters are similar to 2009 except we saw wind gusts over 70 mph during the height of that event along with max temps closer to 100 degrees at the Santa Barbara airport. Although there will likely be several degrees of cooling on Wednesday, wind speeds look stronger in these areas Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. This is prime "sundowner" season.