Summer Heat Springs Ahead of Its Time

Temperatures that soared about 10 degrees above normal throughout the county on Thursday will stay abnormally high all weekend, forecasters said.

“It will feel like August all weekend,” said Wilbur Shigehara, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The high at Lindberg Field Thursday was 78 degrees.

A strong high-pressure system stuck over Southern California will force the warm temperatures to remain until at least next weekend, Shigehara said.

With the weather in mid-summer form, area lifeguards expect thousands to hit the beaches this weekend.

“We are going to have a lot of people down here,” said Rick Roswall, 35, a lifeguard for Solana Beach’s Department of Marine Safety. But the summer-like temperatures could cause problems at the beaches, he said.

“This is a dangerous time of the year for swimming,” he said. “The ocean bottom’s contour is all torn up from winter storms, which helps to cause riptides.” And the lifeguards are not staffed for summertime yet, he noted.

To enjoy this weekend’s 67-degree water safely, Roswall suggested that “swimmers really pay attention to where they’re swimming and whether or not they are near a lifeguard.”

Expect some early morning fog and low clouds this weekend with the sunshine, Shigehara said.

Beach temperatures are expected to be from 68 to 75 all weekend, Shigehara said.

In the coastal area, weekend highs will be near 80 and should drop at night to about 65 degrees, Shigehara said.

Highs close to 90 degrees are expected in the inland areas throughout the weekend.

The blooming deserts will start to wilt this weekend, with highs near 100 and lows of 65, Shigehara said.

The mountains will have high temperatures in the 70s and lows in the 40s.

The weather service predicted normal sea breezes for the America’s Cup races off Point Loma.