Temps in the 80s in December? SLO breaks daily heat record during unusually warm winter

Stephanie Zappelli
·2 min read

Downtown San Luis Obispo bustled with the usual holiday activity on Thursday afternoon. But this year instead of sipping hot cocoa to warm up between errands, the shoppers were sweating from unseasonably warm weather.

The mercury hit 83 degrees in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, just beating the day’s 82-degree high temperature record set in 2000, meteorologist John Lindsey said.

In fact, the entire month of December has been warmer than usual.

The city’s usual average high temperature for December is 67 degrees, he said. But as of Thursday, this month’s average high was 70.9 degrees, he said.

Santa Maria also recorded warm weather on Thursday, reaching a high of 80 degrees. The city almost beat its 1917 high-temperature record of 81 degrees, Lindsey said.

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Northern San Luis Obispo County stayed cooler, however.

With a high of 71 degrees, Paso Robles was two degrees short of beating its 73-degree record set in 2000, he said.

Usually, a storm track will push cold winds into the Central Coast, ushering in crisp, winter weather at this time of year.

But this year, the storm track stayed concentrated over northern California and the Pacific Northwest, allowing the Central Coast to hold onto warmer temperatures, he said.

What’s next in the weather forecast?

The Central Coast will cool down just in time for cozy holiday celebrations.

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San Luis Obispo can expect a sunny Friday with a high of 66 degrees, while Paso Robles will reach a high of 68 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 63 degrees in San Luis Obispo and 63 degrees in Paso Robles.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 67 degrees, while Monday will have patchy fog before 10 a.m. with a high near 68 degrees in both cities, according to the Weather Service.

The Central Coast may even have a rainy Christmas Eve, with a high near 62 degrees.

Fresh, moderate winds will scatter most of the clouds for a sunny, though chilly, Christmas Day and first night of Hanukkah, Lindsey said.

Snow may fall at elevations of 5,000 feet or higher.

From Thursday to Friday, the Central Coast can expect partly cloudy skies and scattered showers, he said.

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