Residents of southwestern California, including Orange, San Diego, western Riverside, and southwestern San Bernardino counties, should brace for a light splash of rain and a gusty episode this weekend. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) San Diego, light rainfall is expected to start in the afternoon in northern areas and later in the evening in San Diego County, with the highest accumulations along the San Diego County coastal facing mountain slopes.
However, it's not just umbrellas that will be necessary - wind advisories are also in effect. West winds of 25-40 mph are slated for the deserts, desert slopes, and the San Diego mountains, with potential gusts over 50 mph. "As the system departs, dry weather with areas of gusty Santa Ana winds will occur by later on Sunday into Monday," the NWS San Diego's Area Forecast Discussion indicated. These winds may lead to minor damage and an elevated fire weather risk, most notably in Santa Ana, San Bernardino, and portions of the Inland Empire.
The offshore flow behind this weather system is set to bring about the Santa Ana winds. Favored areas such as Inland Empire and parts of Orange County are forecasted to experience gusty winds from 35 to 55 mph, contributing to the heightened fire weather concerns. Santa Ana conditions are expected to relent into the new week, with the trough's eastward push giving a brief respite from the winds.
We could see calmer conditions and temperatures closer to average late next week. By Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the marine layer will build with northwesterly flow aloft, providing better chances for low cloud development for coastal areas, reported the NWS San Diego's forecast discussion. Marine conditions carry a Small Craft Advisory for the outer coastal waters into early Sunday morning. Showers are possible, particularly late Saturday evening through to early Sunday morning. Still, the sea state is poised to improve by Sunday afternoon into Monday, with no hazardous conditions expected to prevail through Wednesday.
