A Sun-Filled Weekend Is in Forecast

Sunny, sunny, sunny. A little sunshine today, a lot of sunshine this weekend. And it will be everywhere.

Making allowances only for nightfall, this weekend should be brilliant and beautiful with just a touch of a Santa Ana, the National Weather Service said.

February is tied with December as the second sunniest month of the year and gets about 72% sunshine, said forecaster Wilbur Shigehara. This weekend should be proof of that statistic, he said.

“We have a real Chamber of Commerce weekend coming up,” Shigehara said. “Some high clouds Friday will be the only evidence of Thursday’s dissipating storm. We will see lots of sunshine this weekend, and temperatures will hop up near normal.”

Thursday’s weak storm brought less than a quarter inch of rain to most parts of the county and only minor snow flurries to the mountains, Shigehara said.

A very subtle Santa Ana condition will keep things dry and near seasonal through Monday. The normal high for this time of year is 67 degrees and the overnight low is 50.

Highs at the beaches today will range from 59 to 64 and between 60 and 65 on the weekend. The ocean water is 57 degrees. The large surf of the past few days, which reached 6 feet at times, will come down to between 3 and 5 feet, Shigehara said.

Coastal highs today will range from 64 to 70, and from 65 to 72 on Saturday and Sunday, Shigehara said. Overnight lows will be between 38 and 48 tonight and between 40 and 50 Saturday.

Inland highs will range from 65 to 70 degrees today and from 70 to 77 on the weekend. Nights will be cool and clear between 32 and 40 degrees, Shigehara said.

Highs in the mountains will range from 40 to 55 today and nudge up a few degrees on the weekend. Night temperatures will range in the low- to mid-30s, Shigehara said.

Desert highs today will be between 66 and 72, and between 72 and 78 on the weekend. Overnight lows tonight will be between 32 and 42, and between 34 and 44 Saturday night.

A new cold front from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to move toward San Diego by late Monday or early Tuesday, Shigehara said, adding that an extended forecast calls for colder temperatures and the return of rain by midweek.