June Gloom Lingers On Despite Arrival of Summer

Today is the first day of summer and the day with the most sunshine, but, with all the clouds, the sun might be hard to find this weekend, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego said.

The first day of summer brings 859 minutes of sunshine, meteorologist Wilbur Shigehara said. The day with the least amount of sunshine is Dec. 21 with 600 minutes.

But “we are still in June gloom,” Shigehara said. The effects of a low-pressure center will keep San Diego County under night and morning clouds today and through the weekend, he said.

As a result, temperatures will stay on the cool side, a little below normal because of this pattern, he said.

At Lindbergh Field, “we struggled to hit 67 degrees Thursday, when it should be about 72 degrees this time of year,” Shigehara said. At Fallbrook, the temperature Thursday was 73 degrees, when it should be well into the 80s.

By summer, the low pressure causing the clouds and lowered temperatures should be headed for the coast of the Pacific Northwest, Shigehara said, but for the last five years it has lingered over California.

Because of the lingering low pressure, the weekend weather forecast is a continuation of the night and morning cloud pattern, he said. Only the mountains and deserts will see mostly clear and sunny weather.

At the beaches, temperatures will range from 63 to 68 today without much change over the weekend, Shigehara said. The ocean temperature is 64 degrees and the surf is 3 to 4 feet.

In the coastal areas, temperatures are expected to range from 67 to 74, nudging up a couple of degrees by Sunday. Nights will cool to 53 to 62, and winds will be breezy at 10 to 12 m.p.h., Shigehara said.

Inland areas will have temperatures of 72 to 78 today and Saturday, warming slightly to 80 by Sunday, he said. Nighttime lows are expected to drop to 52 to 56.

In the mountains, the forecast calls for temperatures to reach 72 to 77 and dip to 40 to 50 at night.

The mercury in the desert will rise to about 97 to 100 on Friday and increase to the low 100s on Sunday, Shigehara said.