Author:
 Connie
[ Edit | View ]
|
Date Posted: 10:59:39 02/25/11 Fri
If you think the weather was bad when you and Charlie were here (and it was) here's our weather forecast for the coming week.
A frigid low-pressure system moving across the Central Coast today through Saturday has the potential to leave a blanket of white on areas that rarely experience snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow levels in the region could drop as low as 500 feet, and the weather service and other agencies are warning motorists, campers and hikers that the storm could be deadly for those who are unprepared.
“The concern would be the temperature of the storm, more than the amount of rain,” said Capt. David Sadecki, with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. “It’s supposed to be very cold, with very low temperatures, and that could really catch people off guard, especially in the wilderness areas.
“You could be in an area that would normally be OK, and could have some really heavy snow,” he said.
Last weekend, four people who got caught in a similar snowstorm in the mountains above Santa Barbara were rescued by emergency crews.
Two men and two women in their 40s and 50s were hiking near Cathedral Peak on Saturday afternoon when they were overwhelmed by snow and cold conditions, said Drew Sugars, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The hikers were wearing light clothing, which quickly became soaked, and some of them began suffering from hypothermia, Sugars said.
Today’s storm is expected to be more severe, and anyone planning to travel into the mountains this weekend should plan accordingly.
The high temperature in the Santa Maria and Lompoc valleys Saturday is forecast at 41 degrees, and the low, below freezing, at 31 degrees.
Sunday should warm up to the low-50s, with lows in the mid-30s.
|
Feedback: 