Holiday Weekend Should Be Draped With Clouds

Though Memorial Day weekend traditionally signals the beginning of the summer beach season, clouds and cooler temperatures might dissuade all but the die-hard beachgoers in San Diego County.

If it is any consolation, the weekend clouds are from a different source than the one that has brought cloudy conditions through most of May, the National Weather Service said.

This weekend’s mostly cloudy nights and mornings and partly cloudy afternoons will be a result of an upper-level low-pressure system along the West Coast, forecaster Harvey Hastrup said. This type of system brings in clouds and cooler temperatures from the southwest.

For most of this month, a thermal low-pressure center had settled over the desert, pulling in the coastal air and clouds to cool off desert temperatures in the 100-degree range, Hastrup said.

“So, while it will be the same kind of weather we’ve had for quite some time, it will be for a different reason,” he said.

Shifting Patterns

The shifting patterns resulted in clearer skies Thursday afternoon, but afternoon clearing should not be nearly as dramatic through Monday.

“Nights and mornings will continue to be mostly cloudy,” Hastrup said. “There is also a slight chance of light showers and a better chance of morning drizzle, especially along the coast.”

Thundershowers in the mountains and deserts have disappeared, and the desert is the only place in Southern California that will be clear through Memorial Day, according to Hastrup.

The weekend weather pattern also includes cooler temperatures, especially in the inland areas, where highs will struggle to get out of the upper 60s during the holiday weekend.

While normally the high at Lindbergh Field reaches 69 degrees at this time of year, daytime temperatures will top out at 65 through Monday. Lows will be in the mid-50s, a few degrees cooler than the 59-degree norm.

Highs in both the coastal and inland areas will range from 64 to 69 through Monday. Coastal lows will be between 53 and 57, with inland lows ranging from 50 to 55.

For those who do brave the beach, the surf will be in the two- to three-foot range, with water temperature near 65.

Mountain areas will be partly cloudy with gusty winds at times, although no thundershowers are forecast. Highs will be between 47 and 55, with overnight lows ranging from 34 to 42.

Highs in the deserts will be in the 80s, with lows in the mid-50s.