Cloudy, Cooler Weather Is on Way Back

It was short and sweet and now it’s a memory. The Santa Ana of earlier this week will give way to soupy skies, fog and cooler temperatures through the weekend, the National Weather Service reported.

The Santa Ana, which peaked Thursday with a 79-degree high and 19% humidity at Lindbergh Field, provided a brief respite from a month of frost advisories and below-normal temperatures, said forecaster Wilbur Shigehara. However, it was not strong enough to combat the carpet of fog that is expected to roll in dramatically tonight.

Visibility may get as low as half a mile or less tonight and Saturday night, Shigehara said.

“We won’t have ‘Chamber of Commerce-type’ weather because of the fog, but it will be warmer than it should be for February,” Shigehara said. “We should be at 66 degrees for this time of year, but we’re looking at the upper 60s to low 70s, even without the Santa Ana.”

Daylight hours will be dominated by haze, with only a smattering of afternoon sunshine countywide, Shigehara said. The breakdown of a high pressure system and strong sea breezes are responsible for this film, he said.

Coastal highs are expected to range from 69 to 73 today, dropping a couple of degrees Saturday, and rebounding into the low 70s by Sunday, Shigehara said. Overnight lows in the low- to mid-50s through the weekend are forecast.

The ocean water temperature is 55 degrees and surf is at 3 feet.

High inland temperatures will be substantially lower than earlier this week, ranging between 73 to 78 today, 71 to 76 Saturday and back to the mid-70s by Sunday, Shigehara said. Lows are expected to range from 43 to 50 tonight and Saturday night.

Mountain temperatures are to remain constant through Sunday, with highs in the mid-50s and overnight lows between 25 and 30. Clear skies will be prominent above 4,000 feet, but below that conditions will be hazy and smoggy, Shigehara said.

Sun seekers may want to head to the desert for any significant rays this weekend, Shigehara said. Highs for the entire weekend, he said, will range from 78 to 85, with overnight lows of 42 to 48.