Gray Mornings, Partially Clearing Afternoons on Tap Through Weekend

Morning low clouds and partially clearing skies in the afternoon, with daytime temperatures in the low 70s, should be on tap for most of Southern California this weekend, forecasters said.

Mike Smith, a meteorologist for WeatherData which provides forecasts for The Times, said the mostly gray skies are the product of a weak low-pressure system over the inland deserts and a high-pressure front off the coast. The result, he said, is a marine layer of clouds--reaching almost 3,000 feet in attitude--that should prevail for the next few days.

“It’s a pretty stagnant weather pattern,” he said. “In some areas, the clouds will stick around all day long.”

And there’s a chance the clouds could even produce some showering mist by Sunday morning, he said.

Temperatures through the weekend should be comfortable with daytime highs ranging from 67 to 73 along the coast to high 70s in the inland valleys. The lows are expected to be in the high 50s and lower 60s along the coast and in the valleys, respectively.

Thursday’s high at Los Angeles Civic Center reached 72 degrees, the National Weather Service reported. The overnight low was expected to reach 58.

Offshore, from Point Conception to the Mexican border, boaters should encounter south-to-southwest winds at 5 to 10 knots, occasionally increasing to 8 to 13 knots in the afternoons. The seas should be relatively calm with three-foot southwest swells, the weather service said.

Angelenos headed for San Francisco should find the same conditions predicted for the local skies this weekend--low-morning clouds, partially clearing skies in the afternoon and comfortable temperatures.

The highs should be in the 60s for San Francisco with the temperatures going a few degrees higher in the peninsula suburbs, the weather service said.