The National Weather Service in San Diego has forecasted a hot Thursday with temperatures soaring into the 100s for the Coachella Valley and the surrounding deserts, per NWS San Diego. As the monsoonal moisture continues to hang in the air, there's a chance for some relief in the form of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, particularly targeting the mountains and deserts, while the rest of the region remains hot, however the Inland valleys and lower deserts temperatures are expected to dip slightly by Friday, hovering in the 90s and near the 100-degree mark respectively.
Looking forward, Southern California can anticipate a cooling trend continuing into the next week, with temperatures in some inland areas anticipated to fall to 8 to 12 degrees below average by Wednesday. This information comes from the Area Forecast Discussion issued by the same NWS office. On its westward journey, the low-pressure system is expected to usher in this drop in mercury, leading to drier conditions early into next week. The cooldown will prevail through Wednesday with coastal highs in the lower to mid-70s, the Inland Empire seeing upper 70s to mid-80s, and the lower deserts scaling down to mid to upper 90s.
The weather forecast discussion also provides detailed expectations for this weekend: "Saturday high temperatures will range from 70s near the coast to the upper 80s to mid 90s for the Inland Empire, with the upper 90s to 102 for the lower deserts." Furthermore, as the evening descends, coastal areas might be wrapped in increasingly low clouds that could extend locally inland over the weekend.
While current conditions don't call for any major marine warnings, the sporadic nature of desert showers and thunderstorms today between 19:00 and 02:00 could result in gusty winds and lightning; these thunderstorms mainly expected in the mountains and lower deserts presenting a slim chance for the far inland valleys, with additional disruptions potentially impacting visibility due to heavy rain and blowing dust associated with these thunderstorms. However, according to the Area Forecast Discussion, no significant marine conditions are projected through Monday.
For aviation, coastal areas should brace for low clouds and fog with bases approximately between 600-900 feet MSL that will scatter later in the morning, similar conditions are expected to resurface late tonight into Friday, the mountains, valleys, and deserts will have to contend with possible shower and thunderstorm activity within the timing above these could also affect visibility with erratic gusts and reduced clearness from spontaneous and intense downpours as well as dust blown uphill by the storms.
