Cooling Trend to Continue as Storms Clear Out

Widely scattered thunderstorms that streaked the skies with lightning and dropped traces of rain over some areas Thursday will diminish today and Saturday, forecasters said.

Moist tropical air, circulating around a low-pressure system stalled off the coast, generated displays of lightning and thunder, and rain in some areas, said Dan Atkin of the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Alpine, Del Mar, National City and Oceanside were reporting traces of rainfall by 4 p.m. Thursday, and a 20% chance of scattered rain was forecast throughout the county, Atkin said.

Atkin said the cooling trend that began Wednesday will continue through the weekend as the onshore flow of marine air brings night and morning clouds and fog.

Skies at the beaches and in the mountains are expected to clear only partially over the weekend, but most other areas will have fair afternoon skies.

Beach temperatures will range from 68 to 73, with the surf at 2 to 5 feet and the ocean temperature near 68. Coastal highs will reach 73 to 79 with lows of 62 to 68.

Inland areas will rise to 82 to 90, dropping to 57 to 65 at night.

In the mountains, skies will remain partly cloudy through Saturday with highs of 76 to 84 and lows of 50 to 58. The desert will peak around 100 before falling into the 70s.