Santa and Sunshine Expected in Southland

It’s going to be a blue Christmas in Los Angeles. Blue skies, that is.

While gloomy, gray skies and freezing temperatures plague most of the nation, the three-day holiday weekend in Los Angeles will feature sunshine and warmer than normal high temperatures.

“I’m not expecting a whole lot of changes through the holiday weekend,” said Dan Bowman, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “The high-pressure system, which has been the same here for weeks, isn’t showing any signs of budging.”

Bowman said that high temperatures over the holiday weekend in the Southland will range from the upper 60s along the coast to the 70s inland. Overnight lows will range from the upper 30s inland to the upper 40s along the coast.

Gusty winds may blow below canyons and passes, but should reach no more than 10 to 20 m.p.h.

On Friday, the high temperature at the Civic Center was 74 degrees, seven degrees higher than average. The overnight low was 49 degrees, one degree above average.

The Rocky Mountains, Bowman said, have saved the West Coast from the Arctic front that has been delivering record cold temperatures to the Eastern two-thirds of the nation. Just east of the Rockies in Colorado, temperatures were hovering at around 0 degrees Friday afternoon. West of the Rockies in Utah, temperatures were 40 degrees warmer.

The warmest temperatures in the nation Friday were in Southern California, with the thermometer hitting 80 in Montebello and 81 in Escondido and Fallbrook.

That trend should continue until well after Santa has dropped off his presents. The only thing missing for Christmas in the Southland will be--as usual--snow.

“It’s going to be a real nice weekend,” Bowman said.