Temperatures on the Rise for Weekend, but Low Clouds Remain

The night and morning low clouds that have dominated the weather in May should continue their stranglehold on the skies this weekend, forecasters said Thursday.

May and June are commonly the cloudiest months of the year, but this year, May’s temperatures have been unusually warm--nearly 5 degrees above normal, experts said.

The El Nino, a weather pattern warming the ocean, has increased sea temperatures nearly 5 degrees, said Wilbur Shigehara, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Those warmed waters have increased land temperatures to unseasonably high marks, Shigehara said. In fact, the nighttime low temperature of 66 degrees in San Diego on Wednesday night was close to the normal high for this time of year, 69 degrees, Shigehara said.

According to Shigehara, the combination of the ubiquitous clouds and the warm temperatures could be a blessing in disguise.

“It could be really hot without those clouds,” Shigehara said.

A burgeoning high pressure system should develop during the weekend, which means temperatures should steadily rise the next few days, Shigehara said.

At the beaches, temperatures will be between 67 and 72 degrees today. High temperatures at the Miller Lite Open volleyball tournament this weekend at Mission Bay’s Mariner’s Point should be about 70 degrees Saturday, and a few degrees higher on Sunday.

In the coastal area, including downtown, the high temperatures will hover in the 70s all weekend. At night the temperatures should fall to about 65, Shigehara said.

In the inland areas, temperatures will climb into the low 80s today and possibly reach 85 on Saturday and Sunday. Morning clouds should be chased away earlier in the afternoon inland, Shigehara said. The lows should be near 60 all weekend.

The mountains will have fair weather, with highs in the upper 70s and lows from 45 to 52 all weekend.

In the deserts the high temperature will reach 98 today, then climb over 100 degrees the rest of the weekend, Shigehara said. The desert lows are forecast at 62 to 72 degrees, Shigehara said.