A 59-degree jump from Paso Robles to coast? SLO County sees big difference in heat wave temps
Anyone driving between Paso Robles and the North Coast last week might have needed their air conditioning on at one point of the drive — followed by their heater on the other end.
The temperature difference between the coastal and inland regions of San Luis Obispo County were at an all-time high during the heat wave last week, according to local meteorologist John Lindsey.
During the week, inland areas of the county reached triple digit temperatures with some cities like Paso Robles even breaking daily temperature records.
On Saturday, the North County city recorded a temp of 115 degrees, while Los Osos and Morro Bay recorded a temperature of 56 degrees, Lindsey said — a 59-degree difference in temperatures between the two parts of San Luis Obispo County.
This afternoon, we almost reached a 60-degree F temperature differential between the coastline and the inland valleys. Weather stations in Los Osos and Morro Bay reported 56°, while the Paso Robles Municipal Airport hit 115° at 3:30 p.m. That’s a 59-degree temperature… pic.twitter.com/jTYsVAFdPB
— John Lindsey (@PGE_John) July 7, 2024
This divide, Lindsey said, was the largest he had seen in his career.
“We almost saw a 60-degree temperature differential,” he said. “I have never seen something that much.”
San Luis Obispo County has seen an increasing divide between the temperatures of the inland and coastal areas of the county, Lindsey said.
He said this could be explained by a cloud cover caused by a subtropical weather system moving through Central California as part of the annual North American monsoon, a weather pattern that brings moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California across the central United States.
Lindsey said the impact of this weather system had the potential to get worse as climate change continues to drive more severe weather patterns.
Excessive heat warning extended for SLO County
Meanwhile, an excessive heat warning has been extended for much of the county through Thursday with “dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures between 95 and 105,” according to the National Weather Service.
San Luis Obispo was expected to hit 88 on Wednesday with temperatures in the low 80s and high 70s arriving at the end of the week.
In Paso Robles, temperatures were expected to peak at 110 mid-week before falling back to the mid 90s over the weekend.
Along the coast, however, temperatures were expected to stay in the mid 60s in Morro Bay and the 70s to mid 60s in Pismo Beach.
