San Diego Skies Get Ahead of Themselves

San Diego County got an early taste of fall Wednesday with cooler temperatures and heavy drizzle in some areas, WeatherData Inc. reported.

The drizzle is expected to continue today and Friday, with the sun reappearing in the afternoons. High temperatures the rest of the week in San Diego should be about 76, with lows near 67, the National Weather Service said.

Wednesday’s high of 74 was about 10 degrees lower than normal, WeatherData meteorologist Bill Hibbert said. The early-morning drizzle was a continuation of rain on Tuesday night. Pockets of steady rain were reported in some North County areas Wednesday morning, Hibbert said.

“For this time of the year, this is fairly unusual,” he said. “This is more of a fall- or winter-type weather pattern.”

Hibbert said the cool and drizzly weather is a remnant of Hurricane Diana, which began in the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago and has left a low-pressure system over southern Arizona and New Mexico.

“Diana generated large areas of low pressure and brought moisture and cooler weather to Southern California,” he said.

Downtown San Diego received only traces of rain Wednesday, as did Fallbrook, Miramar and San Diego State University, Hibbert said. Vista reported .09 inches of rain, Del Mar had .08 and Oceanside had .03.

High temperatures for the next few days are expected to be 69 to 74 at the beaches, 74 to 79 for the coast, 78 to 86 in the inland valleys, 77 to 85 in the mountains and 96 to 104 in the deserts.