Cool San Diego Summer Likely to End That Way

With all this beautiful, sunny weather warming San Diegans lately, residents might think the region will get a belated summer after all.

But don’t be misled by this week’s run of 74-degree days.

Average temperatures these past few days have still fallen short of the usual average for this time of year, and this last formal weekend of summer will be no exception, as the National Weather Service forecasts below-normal temperatures with partly cloudy skies through Sunday.

“Temperatures have been two to three degrees below the norm of 77 degrees all week long. Mid-September is usually the hottest time of the year. Not too much temperature change is expected over the next few days,” National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

Winds May Shift Clouds to San Diego

San Diegans can expect occasional clouds through the weekend, but the question is how many? High-level winds from the southwest have been pushing clouds to Arizona. But Shigehara said that, by the weekend, as these winds start to change direction, some wayward clouds settle in San Diego, bringing the possibility of thunderstorms in the mountain and desert areas.

“This time of year high-level winds are light and the wind pattern is not clear-cut, so it’s hard to predict which way storms will go,” Shigehara said.

Mid-September is the height of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, and the clouds expected to drift our way are the result of tropical storm Norma, situated 250 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, and tropical depression Max (a storm with winds traveling less than 35 m.p.h.), which is now moving northwest and out to sea.

“As these storms dissipate, their cluster of clouds spread. We need to know what direction the high-level winds are going in to determine where the clouds will go,” Shigehara said.

Ocean Temperature 69 Degrees

Beaches will see night and early-morning low clouds, with surf dropping back down to three feet by the weekend. The ocean temperature is 69 degrees. Coastal highs will range from 72 to 77 through Sunday, with lows in the 60- to 65-degree range.

Inland valley highs should climb to 77 to 84 degrees, with lows dropping to 56 to 62 degrees through Saturday.

Mountains and deserts will be mostly fair through tonight, becoming partly cloudy on Saturday. Mountain highs will be 72 to 78 degrees, with lows of 45 to 55 through Saturday. Desert highs will range from 97 to 102, with lows of 65 to 70 through Sunday.