Today's mild weather with highs near the seasonal average is just the prelude to an escalating thermostat. They anticipate a "minor warming on Saturday" and an even toastier Sunday, with highs "5-10 degrees above normal." But the beat doesn't stop there; come Monday, strap in for temperatures potentially "10-15 degrees above normal," according to the NWS San Diego.
But as anyone who's contended with SoCal's whims can attest, there's always a mix in the cauldron. The National Weather Service San Diego cautions that the weak Santa Ana winds we're feeling will be followed by "weak onshore flow on Saturday." And, although there's a looming warmth, fog could roll in like an uninvited guest, bringing the potential for a blindsiding blanket along the coast come Sunday and Monday mornings. The skies may be clear now, but don't let that fool you—our coastal friends could find themselves groping through pea soup denser than a Thanksgiving gravy.
For those residing in mountain and foothill areas, brace for the Santa Ana's gusty embrace, particularly around the Cajon Pass, though the winds should quiet down by the afternoon. When Saturday afternoon rolls in, a sea breeze is likely to carry whispers of fog over the coastal waters before it slinks its way onto land by nightfall. And, if forecasts hold, that upper-level east-west ridge is set to be the warm hug we didn't know we needed, serving up temperatures in the low 80s in the valleys and low deserts courtesy of slowly shifting winds and a toasty air mass.
Heading into the next week, prepare for a cozy one. It's going to be decidedly warm and dry with periods of weak to locally moderate Santa Ana winds. If you have a hankering for seasons other than eternal summer, control your envy for those elsewhere, because in San Diego, we play by different rules. This sort involves basking in continued warmth while contemplating whether it's socially acceptable to wear flip-flops to a winter gala. Although ensembles predict variances in the amplitude of the ridge, inevitably affecting our temperature and the intensity of the Santa Ana wind, the certainty leans heavily towards warm, with a 65% chance of those notorious winds intensifying on Monday and Tuesday.
