Drizzles Expected to Dry Up, Giving Way to Warm Weekend in Southland

Possible overnight drizzles should be gone from Southern California by this morning, the forecasters say, giving way to wind and to warmer weather that should be even better by the weekend.

Today’s west-to-northwest winds, expected to gust to about 20 m.p.h., “ought to die down” tonight and should not be too much of a problem after that, said meteorolgist Pat Cooper of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

With a large low-pressure system to the north continuing to move inland and a high-pressure ridge building up off Baja California, temperatures are expected to rise from today’s cloudy mid-60s to low 70s on Saturday and slightly warmer on Sunday.

The cold front that brushed the Southland on Thursday brought winds whipping up to more than 30 m.p.h. in the Antelope Valley.

Stiff winds also hit the deserts of San Diego County and Kern County. Motorists with high-profile vehicles were warned to be careful driving in the Mojave Desert.

The National Weather Service said Thursday’s high temperature at Civic Center was 62 degrees. The low was 55. Relative humidity ranged from 96% to 62%.

The storm front dumped heavy rain on Northern California, snow and strong winds in the Sierra Nevada and high winds in Nevada.