June Gloom Arrives Early, Shuts Out Sun in San Diego

After one of the warmest Aprils in San Diego history, the weather will begin to cool down a bit, weather forecasters said.

“May is one of the cloudiest months of the year, and you’ll be able to see that this weekend,” said Wilbur Shigehara, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The mostly gray, cooler weather follows one of the warmest months ever recorded in San Diego.

“It was the hottest April we’ve ever had in San Diego,” Shigehara said.

The weather service record book, which began in 1850, will show that, during April, 1992, the average temperature was an unseasonably warm 67 degrees, almost 6 degrees above normal.

To go along with the warm air temperature, the water temperature at Mission Beach tied the all-time high for April--set in 1958--averaging 63.8 degrees.

Shigehara explained that the record-breaking temperatures were all due to the El Nino, a weather pattern that warms the ocean waters closest to the Equator.

The El Nino, according to Shigehara, is also responsible for the cloudy skies that have recently cast their pall over San Diego. The warm waters helped to create a condition that invited moist air from Mexico, causing San Diego to cloud over, Shigehara said.

The mostly cloudy skies will book-end the weekend, with a day of mostly sunny skies expected for Saturday, Shigehara said.

Saturday will mark the beginning of the America’s Cup yacht races off Point Loma. The weather that day should be mostly fair. Partly sunny skies and winds from eight to 15 m.p.h. are expected on the ocean, Shigehara said. Temperatures on the boats will be about 67 degrees.

San Diego should expect some drizzle in the early-morning this weekend, Shigehara said. But there is virtually no chance of rain, he added.

At the beaches, the high temperatures this weekend should peak at 67 to 71 degrees, Shigehara said.

Highs of 73 are expected in the coastal section, including downtown, all weekend. The lows should dip to near 60 degrees all weekend, Shigehara said.

Inland, highs in the low 80s and night temperatures in the 50s are expected.

The mountains will reach 74 degrees this weekend, with low temperatures in the 40s.

In the humid deserts, the high should climb to about 98, Shigehara said. A low of 55 is expected all weekend.