Offshore winds keep Central Coast cooking, and more may be on the way – Lompoc Record

Don Foss of Orcutt sits in the sun Thursday at Waller Park in Santa Maria, where the temperature hit 81 degrees. "I took a walk around Monkey Island, and I thought I'd rest a little before I head back," Foss said. "I like to come down to enjoy the sunshine and watch the wildlife."

Clear skies and warm temperatures brought children to Waller Park in Santa Maria with their parents Thursday, when the high reached 81 degrees there and in Lompoc. Santa Ynez hit 82 degrees.

Warm weather Thursday brought a family to Waller Park in Santa Maria for a barbecue and some time out of the house.

Northern Santa Barbara County was cooking Thursday after northeasterly winds that blew in Wednesday evening pushed temperatures into the 80s, although not high enough to officially break any records, according to National Weather Service data.

There are no new records that I know of, but its absolutely gorgeous weather, said John Lindsey, meteorologist for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. at Diablo Canyon Power Plant. You could be in Iowa, where its 18 degrees.

Although thermometers reached as high as 86 and 88 degrees Thursday in downtown Santa Maria, and one Orcutt resident said his read 87, the official high recorded at Santa Maria Public Airport was 81.

The record for Jan. 14 in Santa Maria is 83 degrees, set in 2014 when Santa Maria set new records four days in a row, peaking at 89 degrees on Jan. 16, Lindsey said.

In Lompoc, the high Thursday was also 81, but the record there for Jan. 14 is 84 degrees, set back in 1983. Vandenberg Air Force Base recorded a high of 80 degrees Thursday, and the Santa Ynez Airport temperature peaked at 82 degrees.

National Weather Service data did not list records for the base and Santa Ynez.

The recent northeast offshore winds are producing these warm temperatures, Lindsey said

But the warm weather is drying out the already parched wildland vegetation, and long-range forecasts see no rain in sight through the end of January, normally one of the areas rainy months.

This is the heart of our rain season, Lindsey said. It was very dry in October and November, and we had that one rain storm at the end of December. I cant remember the last time we had a dry January.

Continued here:

Offshore winds keep Central Coast cooking, and more may be on the way - Lompoc Record