The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued an advisory concerning moderate to strong Santa Ana winds, expected to impact Southern California, with particular strength along the coastal slopes, foothills, and valleys. According to the NWS San Diego website, gusts may exceed 50 mph in some foothill areas and surpass 30 mph in certain valleys. Residents in these regions are anticipated to experience the peak of these winds later today, potentially reaching up to 80 mph in isolated gusts.
Notably, the Santa Ana winds are expected to persist through the weekend, albeit with a slight decrease in intensity and spread from today's potency. Despite the drop in humidity raising fire potential, the risk remains moderated by the moisture content in the area's vegetation, as pointed out by the NWS's Area Forecast Discussion. Wind-sheltered valley locations may also face patchy frost conditions this morning.
An ensuing warming trend is expected to commence this weekend, with temperatures steadily climbing into next week. "Look for lots of 70s emerging at lower elevations this weekend," the NWS forecast discussion states, projecting some locales to hit the 80s by Wednesday. While nighttime temperatures could significantly drop in wind-calm areas, the regions where winds persist will likely remain in the mild 60s during this period.
In terms of aviation, the winds have been accompanied by gusts of 40-55 kts along coastal slopes, primarily north of San Diego County. Similarly, the Inland Empire from KONT to KRIV and parts of inland Orange County, including KSNA, are confronting gusts between 25-40 kts. "Periods of LLWS and moderate up and downdrafts downwind of coastal slopes (i.e., KONT, KSNA, KSBD)" were highlighted in the aviation section of the forecast discussion. Marine conditions, however, are anticipated to remain relatively unaffected, with occasional northeast to east winds gusting up to 20 knots over the weekend, per the NWS San Diego.
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