Wild Winds Expected to Abate to Mild Breezes

Orange County’s weekend will begin with gusty winds from the desert and end with mild breezes under sparkling skies, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

A mild Santa Ana condition, spurred by a buildup of air pressure in Idaho and Nevada that pushed a surge of dry air southwestward, raised a wall of blowing dust and sand to cut visibilities below safe minimums in the northern deserts Thursday, and forecasters said things could be just as bad today.

Wind gusts to 45 m.p.h. were forecast for the northern mountains overnight, with continued north to northeast winds in the 25-35 m.p.h. range expected throughout Orange County and the rest of Southern California today.

Strong Gusts Below Canyons

These winds can be expected to ease and finally blow themselves to death as the weekend goes on, the Weather Service said, but some strong gusts can be expected below canyons and at higher mountain elevations as late as Monday.

High temperature in downtown Santa Ana Thursday was 73 degrees, with humidity in the 43% to 78% range.

And forecasters said it should be warmer (upper 70s to low 80s) and drier (down to the teens by mid-afternoon) today, with the warming trend expected to continue through the early part of next week.

A small craft advisory was in effect for outer waters from Point Conception to San Clemente Island on Thursday, where northwest winds to 30 knots combined with 12-foot seas created a hazard for all but the saltiest blue-water boat-handlers.

Inner waters were calmer, with winds southwest to west at 15 knots and three-foot wind waves from Point Conception to the Mexican border.

But the Weather Service warned of local north winds rising to 25 knots overnight below coastal canyons.

Surf at 2 to 4 Feet

On the other side of the surf line, beachgoers were told to expect two- to four-foot breakers from Zuma Beach to Ensenada, with a northeast wind rising to 20 m.p.h. at times today (dying away to an eight- to 16-m.p.h. sea breeze by Saturday). Water temperature was expected to reach 65 degrees in the afternoon--10 to 15 degrees below air temperature.

The San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains should be clear, windy and cold, forecasters said. Winds were expected to shift north to south and die away by Saturday, leaving skies clear and nights in the freezing range, with daytime highs in the 50s to 60s at resort levels.

The Sierra forecast called for sunny skies throughout the weekend.

Deserts were expected to be a bit warmer (no sub-freezing nights south of the Owens Valley) through the weekend, with winds dying tonight. High desert readings should be in the 80s, low deserts in the low 90s, forecasters said.

Arizona’s weekend was expected to be dry and cool as showers and thundershowers that moved through the area Thursday rumbled away to the east. Mountain resort level temperatures should be in the 50s (after a dip below freezing each night), while desert-dwellers can expect afternoons in the low 80s, the weather service said.

Las Vegas’ weekend should be dry and warm, with highs in the mid-80s.

Afternoon temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area should range from the 60s along the coast to the mid-70s inland, forecasters said, with skies clearing after the usual morning low clouds and fog.

And Ensenada was expecting sunny days, clear nights, afternoon temperatures to the low 80s . . . and lots of visitors.