Don’t Get an Easter Bonnet Just to Block Out the Sun

San Diego County will be getting it from all sides this Easter weekend, as a low-pressure system over the desert continues to pull the coastal clouds inland and a cold front moves through, bringing even cooler weather and cloudier skies.

Though Saturday will be the coolest and cloudiest day of the weekend, National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said, the clouds will stick around long enough on Sunday so that Easter sunrise services will be less than picturesque.

“We’re looking at a pretty cloudy Easter sunrise, in fact you might have to go all the way out to the Laguna Mountains to get away from the clouds,” Shigehara said.

Thermal Low

The thermal low pressure over Southern California’s deserts is a boon for those seeking a tan during spring break in Palm Springs, driving temperatures in the desert resort to near 100 degrees, he said. Locally, however, it began to pull the coastal clouds inland on Thursday and dropped temperatures considerably.

“When this kind of system settles over the desert, it starts to pull the coastal clouds toward it to cool itself off,” Shigehara said. “That’s why we had such a good sea breeze (Thursday), and why we’ll be cooler and cloudy again (today).”

While the cool and overcast weather discouraged many from going to the beach to work on their tans, lifeguards estimated that 35,000 people still made the trek to Ocean, Mission and Pacific beaches.

San Diego lifeguard spokesman John Murieta said that city lifeguards made about 60 rescues Thursday, most of them involving people caught in the seasonal rip currents. City lifeguards have been averaging about 50 rescues a day this week.

Murieta noted that this week’s crowds, made up mostly of local youths who are out of school, have kept the understaffed lifeguard corps busy making rescues.

‘Working Nonstop’

“Some of our people are almost working nonstop,” Murieta said.

The weekend cold front will bring even more clouds and a stronger cooling trend on Saturday, but no rain, according to forecaster Shigehara. By Sunday afternoon, there should be signs of both clearing and warming as the front moves east, also disrupting the low-pressure system.

Temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees lower in most beach and inland areas on Thursday, and will slip 4 to 6 degrees more today, then another 4 to 6 degrees on Saturday. Highs in the mountains will reflect the largest drop this weekend, as the 72- to 77-degree highs expected today slip 20 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

“The mountains have not been affected by the coastal clouds being pulled in, but they will be affected by the cold front,” Shigehara said. “This is also the case with the deserts. It will be just as hot out there (today) before cooling off on Saturday.”

Beaches will have highs between 66 and 71 today and 64 and 68 Saturday, nudging back up to between 65 and 69 on Sunday. Lows will be in the mid 50s tonight, slipping to the low 50s Saturday night.

The ocean temperature has increased 4 degrees since last weekend and is currently at a bearable 63 degrees, Shigehara said. Surf this weekend will be two to three feet.

Inland areas will have highs ranging from 75 to 85 today, 67 to 72 Saturday, and 69 to 74 on Sunday. Lows will be in the high 40s and low 50s.

Highs in the mountains will be 72 to 77 today before drastically slipping to the 52- to 58-degree range over the weekend. Overnight lows will be 35 to 45.

Desert highs will be near 100 degrees today, dipping to the high 80s Saturday and Sunday. Lows will be in the high 50s to low 60s.