YOUR WEEKEND : Holiday Will Bring Warm Temperatures to Match Fireworks Displays

This Fourth of July weekend will be filled with the familiar smells of barbecues, the beauty of fireworks, and, forecasters said, plenty of warm, sunny weather.

For those planning the traditional Independence Day beach parties, the weatherman promised that braving the crowds should be worth it.

“This is going to be good beach weather. Take your sunscreen out and put the sunglasses on,” said National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara.

During the day, the beach may be the coolest place to be in the county, since temperatures will be well above normal elsewhere, Shigehara said.

At night, however, some of the beaches will become hot spots, thanks to fireworks displays scheduled for the holiday.

In La Jolla, the fireworks will be launched from the La Jolla Cove on Saturday. The beach display will begin bursting in air at 9 p.m., with a simulcast of the show on B100-FM (100.7).

The display at the Ocean Beach Pier also starts at 9 p.m. Saturday. Those pyrotechnics will be choreographed to music broadcast by Q106-FM (106.5).

Before all the festivities, however, most of the county will take today off to celebrate the holiday.

Today has been declared a city holiday in San Diego, and all city offices and libraries will be closed. Parking meters will not be checked Saturday, a city press release said.

However, trash will be picked up today and Monday as usual, city officials said.

For those hoping to get a jump on the Fourth, a party complete with fireworks and music will be held at Escondido High School tonight at 6 p.m. The festivities will include Western music, singing and a 40-minute fireworks display with a computer-controlled voice and music background.

At the beaches, the temperatures will be in the middle 70s with sunshine after early-morning low clouds, Shigehara said.

In the coastal area, including downtown, temperatures will climb into the 80-degree range during the day and fall to about 62 degrees at night, Shigehara said.

The inland areas will warm up to about 85 degrees in the afternoon, he said. At night, the temperatures will dip to about 56, Shigehara said.

The mountains will reach 78 to 86 degrees during the day, Shigehara said. At night, the temperature will drop to nearly 50, he said.

The deserts will soar to well above 100 this weekend, Shigehara said. Shigehara advised desert-goers to take plenty of water. The low temperature in the deserts will be 69 degrees this weekend, he said.