If It’s Friday, It Must Be Getting Cloudy, Cooler

San Diegans will again be frustrated by seeing the work week’s clear, warm weather cool and cloud up--just in time for the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

High temperatures dropped an average of 13 degrees Thursday in all coastal and inland areas of San Diego County, forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said. The high temperature at Lindbergh Field fell 12 degrees, from Wednesday’s high of 85 to a much more seasonal 73 degrees. Highs that had reached into the mid-90s in many inland areas Wednesday had dropped to the low 80s by Thursday.

Low Clouds Tonight

Low clouds will move in tonight and Saturday night and stick around through at least mid-morning Saturday and Sunday, driving temperatures down a few more degrees. However, mostly sunny afternoons are expected.

“We will again get a peek at what May and June are typically like,” Shigehara said. “Those are the two cloudiest months of the year in San Diego, and at least one if not both days during our past few weekends have resembled them. Hopefully we’ll be getting more of the afternoon sun.”

As was the case last weekend, a thermal low-pressure system settling over the desert is to blame for the increasing clouds and plunging temperatures. The system is pulling the coastal clouds and cool air inland in an attempt to cool off the deserts, where temperatures cracked the 100 mark at the beginning of the week.

Won’t Reach Desert

“The clouds and cooling are not going to reach the deserts,” Shigehara said. “The system will be strong enough to bring clouds from the coast all the way into the foothill areas. But the cool air will only replace the warmth in our valleys, not the deserts.”

Coastal area highs will range from 69 to 74 degrees through Sunday, with lows between 54 and 59. Ocean temperature remains at 63 degrees, with surf averaging two to three feet.

Inland areas will have highs in the 75- to 83-degree range all three days, with overnight lows in the upper 40s and low 50s.

Mountain areas will be spared the clouds and therefore will be a little warmer than usual. Highs will be in the low 70s, with lows near 40 degrees today through Sunday.

The county’s desert areas will cool down slightly today through the weekend. Expected highs will be between 90 and 95 all three days, with overnight lows dipping into the mid-50s.