Your Weekend : Humidity to Hang Heavy Over Weekend

A Saturday morning nature walk in Penasquitos and a late-afternoon storytelling event in Chula Vista could provide relief this weekend from the continuing warm, humid weather left behind by Hurricane Darby.

A cool, two-hour walk through Los Penasquitos Canyon will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. The free walk, sponsored by the Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, will highlight the plants that American Indians and settlers used while living in canyons.

Les Braund, the leader of the walk, will lead a tour where the restoration of native trees and shrubs is taking place in the canyon.

Organizers suggest that walkers wear sturdy shoes and bring water. The walk will begin at the preserve’s parking lot, which is on Black Mountain Road and Mercy Road, north of Mira Mesa Boulevard. The Mercy Road off-ramp exits from Interstate 15. For recorded information, call 484-3219.

The temperatures during the walk will be near 70 degrees, the National Weather Service said. Later in the day, however, temperatures inland are expected to climb to near 95 degrees. At night, the inland temperatures will fall to about 65 degrees this weekend.

“The remnants of Hurricane Darby will be here all weekend in the form of warm and humid weather,” according to Wilbur Shigehara, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The forecaster said the moisture flow from the hurricane should steadily decline as the weekend progresses. For the most part, however, heavy fog and low clouds in the morning and evenings should be expected, followed by warm, moist afternoons.

The beaches will be covered with mostly cloudy skies this weekend and the high temperatures there should hover at near 75 degrees all weekend, Shigehara said.

In coastal areas such as Chula Vista, the temperature should peak at 82 degrees today, with high temperatures dropping off by a degree or two as the weekend progresses, Shigehara said. At night, the temperatures will fall to near 68 degrees in the coastal areas all weekend, he said.

The Chula Vista Nature Interpretive Center will offer storytelling at 4 p.m. Saturday. Stories and legends will be told by some of San Diego’s master storytellers.

Organizers suggest that listeners take a picnic supper, dress comfortably and bring a blanket for sitting. The 2 1/2-hour session of yarns and stories is for all ages, and tickets will be available Saturday.

Tickets are $3 for members of the center, $6 for non-members and $2.50 for children under 12. The event sold out last year, and officials recommended reserving tickets as soon as possible. For reservations or further information call the Nature Center at 422-2481.

Elsewhere, the deserts will reach temperatures between 100 and 108 degrees this weekend, Shigehara said. At night, the heavy moisture in the air will prevent the deserts from cooling off very much, and low temperatures will dip to about 85 degrees, Shigehara said.

In the mountains, the temperature will climb to about 82 degrees this weekend, with nighttime lows of about 58 degrees, Shigehara said.