Central Coast residents will want to keep their umbrellas, warm coats and gloves handy this week, as a winter storm that started Sunday night is expected to bring rain and cold weather to the area for much of Christmas week.

The rain was expected to continue into early afternoon today, with morning winds blowing 15 to 25 mph out of the northwest. Gusts could pick up to 35 mph by this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Tonight's temperatures are expected to dip into the upper 30s and mid 40s, with a 20 percent chance of rain.

Tuesday's forecast calls for partly to mostly cloudy skies, with a 20 percent chance of rain in the morning and a 50 percent chance by that evening, said Stuart Seto, NWS weather specialist.

"It goes all week," Seto said of the anticipated cold and wet weather brought by two systems coming out of the Pacific Northwest.

A heavier upper-level system is expected to hit Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties by Wednesday, with chances of precipitation at 70 percent. The rain is expected to continue into Christmas Day, Seto said.

"You definitely want to take your umbrellas" out on Christmas Eve, Seto said, adding that it's going to be chilly throughout the week. Highs are expected to be in the mid 50s on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with the lows dropping into the lower to mid 40s.

The second system that's expected to start dropping rain again on Christmas Eve is also anticipated to be "a little heavier" than today's system, Seto said.

The weekend forecast calls for partly cloudy skies on Friday and Saturday, with a 20 percent chance of rain.

December 22, 2008