The Southland Weather : Mother’s Day to Be Clear

Moist sea breezes and a dome of high pressure will keep Southern California skies clear and spring-like right through Mother’s Day, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

A high-pressure area located about 600 miles west of Cape Mendocino--with ridges running from Vancouver to Baja California--is diverting all storm activity far to the north, meteorologists explained, and fair weather, with a mild warming trend, can be expected for the next few days.

High temperature at Los Angeles Civic Center on Thursday was 74 degrees, with relative humidity ranging from 37% to 69%. And forecasters said today should be three or four degrees warmer, with more of the same expected Saturday and Sunday.

A few low clouds may cool the beaches during the morning hours, but surf was expected to be moderate--two to three feet--with water temperature to the low 60s and air temperature about 10 degrees warmer. The onshore breeze is expected to rise to 16 m.p.h. during the afternoon.

Weekend seafarers should find west winds to 18 knots and swells rising to three feet at times during the afternoons in the inshore waters from Point Conception to the Mexican border. Farther out, a small-craft advisory for northwest winds to 30 knots and combined seas to 12 feet was in effect Thursday afternoon, but forecasters said this condition should clear up by today.

High cloudiness was expected from time to time in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, with resort level temperatures to the low 70s and overnight lows a few degrees above freezing. Fair skies were predicted for the Sierra, with afternoon temperatures in the mid-60s.